Daylight
by einsodair
Summary: Peter Pan has taken control of Henry's body and Emma has never been closer, but when drastic measures are taken, Emma finds herself following Henry into a sleeping curse that takes her to the perfect world where her parents are actually older than her husband. What she doesn't expect is Hook, who follows her, and the time restraint they must beat if they want to return to reality.
1. Chapter 1

And when the daylight comes, I'll have to go...

- Maroon 5, _Daylight_

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**Part I.**

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"I'm telling you we should start from Neverwood."

Hook now knew where Emma had gotten her stubbornness, and he would have probably been more amused if not for the fact that her delusional _bolt_ of a father thought he knew Neverland more than he, Captain _bloody_ Hook.

Clicking his tongue along the roof of his mouth, Hook answered His Royal Highness in a dull response, "And _I'm_ telling you that's a foul move that'll get us all killed before we even have a chance at fighting back, much less rescuing Swan's boy."

"But maybe if we go to Neverwood, the Lost Boys can help us," suggested Snow White.

At this, Hook scoffed, memories that still haunted him surfaced clearly into his mind. "Not likely. If Greg and Tamara are in Neverland, they're no doubt in an alliance with Pan. And not to mention his shadow."

"A _shadow_?" Charming groaned in disbelief. "We're up against a _shadow_?"

"How does that even work?" asked Emma.

Hook smirked, but the amusement was left out of his eyes. "I don't know what stories you've heard, but this world works a little differently from your Storybrooke."

He turned to face the sparkling ocean as he spread his arms wide behind him, as if he were motioning the entire land. "Here, the Lost Boys rule. You are to fear them, and believe me when I say we have plenty to fear. I know from experience."

Emma paused, still unaccustomed to the thought of Peter Pan, the boy who never aged, as the head of some kind of evil kidnapping club. "What would he want with Henry?"

Hook's eyes flickered to hers and held her meticulous gaze with equal intensity. "He has quite a reputation of taking children from their homes and leaving them in Neverland. The only way you can leave is if you have the Shadow's permission."

Emma stared back. "Is that how you were able to leave?"

His lips quirked up just slightly. "No. He doesn't quite enjoy the company of adults, which is why we won't have a problem. It's your son that we'll have to worry about."

"So what do you recommend we do to get Henry back, _Captain_?" spat Regina.

He ignored her sarcasm dripped tone. "If you want to get the boy back, it would be wise to ask the assistance of others. I'm sure I can round up a few of my old crewmates who'll be happy to help."

Emma's eyebrows raised in question at his offer. "Your crew..."

"What makes you think we can't hold our own against them?" Charming questioned.

Hook replied, nonchalantly, "You can try, but I just don't think it's the brightest idea."

"We've used magic to shield the ship," pointed out Emma. "We could do some kind of sneak attack and get to Henry."

"Yes, love, but that would only buy us time. As long as we are in Neverland, they will sense my ship. They'll know we're here."

"How much time do we have then?"

He glanced at Regina. "Perhaps by the rise of the moon. Depends on how strong your magic is though. If you can best them, then we'll be safe until tomorrow's sunset. They only attack at night, so if you think you can shield the Jolly that much longer..." he trailed off.

Snow eyed him warily. "What happens when they find us?"

The pirate captain looked morbid as he contemplated the answer. It was like he was revisiting his past. He spoke almost monotonically. "They'll board my ship and raid our belongings. They'll begin to question our reasons for sailing in Neverland, and they'll be even more suspicious once they see you lot here. If we're lucky, they'll let us go without a fight. We must have the advantage if we plan on going against Pan. Which is why I insist we wait for my crew before we start infringing into their hideout like heroes."

"No offense, Hook," intercepted Regina. "But we have two expert magic users, a master swordsman, a princess turned vigilante, and the Savior. I think we can handle a couple of kids better than your...friends."

With no mention of him, Hook pouted. "I am more than my striking appearance, you know."

Charming laughed. "Oh yeah, what are you going to do? Freeze them with your pretty face?"

"As flattered as I am that Your Highness finds me attractive**—**" Charming gave him a blank stare. "I do have a magic sailing ship that can fly wherever you desire and centuries worth of knowledge of this land, compared to you folks who have been here for, what, fifteen minutes?" He grinned and waved his right hand. "I also have a nice right hook."

The blatant eye rolls and groans at his attempt of comic relief did not go unnoticed. Hook sighed. "You lot are no fun."

Emma crossed her arms and stood a serious stance. "Now that we're done joking around. Hook, how soon can you get word out to your crew?"

"As soon as you need me to, darling," he drawled.

"How can we be sure your crewmates are reliable?" asked Charming, doubt sparkling clearly in his eyes. "For all we know, this could be some kind of scheme to sell us out to the enemy. Hell, how do we know you aren't going to just leave us here?"

Hook wasn't quite sure why he looked to Emma when he did, or even why she looked back with equal vigor. Perhaps it was to see whether she believed in him or not. Believed that he could actually—what was it she said—be a part of something.

And then he saw it. Granted, it was a sort of flicker, but it was there.

"If you're insinuating my services rely on a hidden motive, then you're greatly mistaken." Leaning against the side of the deck, he took a more serious demeanor. "I promised you my services to help and I intend to stay true to my word, and that goes for rescuing the boy and returning you back to your world. As for my crew, they may be pirates but they're good men. I can vouch for them."

"Funny." Charming stood by stoically. "Who'll vouch for you?"

"I will," said Emma, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Eyes flew to her, and she planned to stand her ground until she felt the burning stare of one individual who had been all too observant over the past events. Emma made an attempt to ignore making eye contact with her mother, partly because she didn't feel like having Snow read her like a book and questioning her later. They didn't have time for that.

It was silent for almost forever, and Emma wanted to scream in relief when Rumpelstiltskin intercepted.

"He isn't the only one with connections. Someone in this land owes me a favor. I'll be happy to use it to help us plan a rescue for Henry."

Regina perked up. "You made a deal with someone in Neverland?"

He shrugged. "I like to think of it as a public service."

"Can you contact them?" Emma anxiously asked. They were getting closer, and considering a day hadn't even passed, this was good progress.

Without a word, Rumpelstiltskin walked to the edge of the ship and stood beside Hook. With a snap of his fingers, an object materialized in his palm. Hook's eyes widened as he saw the shiny pearl through the indigo smoke.

"A Mermaid's Tear?"

Snow voiced the question that was searing into everyone's minds. "You made a deal with a mermaid?"

He rolled the pearl gently between his thumb and index finger, almost with admiration. With a quick glance to the pirate beside him, he dropped the pearl, his eyes trailing his deal carefully until it made a small _plop_ into the water.

"Help should be arriving soon."

Charming nodded. "We should get ready." He turned to Hook. "Is there a map of Neverland aboard?"

The other man nodded mutely and pointed to his cabin.

Hook waited until the group disbanded, leaving only himself and Rumpelstiltskin. Rolling his eyes over the older looking man, he sauntered over to a specific rope and tugged on it with one hand, pulling until the pirate flag went all the way up. After tying it to a hook on the pole, he turned back to Rumpelstiltskin.

"Relying on the help of magical creatures is slightly beneath you, don't you think, Crocodile?"

Without sparing a glance, Rumpelstiltskin replied, "If you have something to say, then say it."

Hook tilted his head as if he were contemplating the right question to ask. "Why are you really helping?"

"Same as you. I want to get Henry back."

The captain chuckled in disbelief. "I find that hard to believe. No offense, but the Dark One isn't usually known to help others without something in return. And to waste such a valuable deal? What are you getting out of this?"

Rumpelstiltskin smirked, apparently finding the interaction amusing. "Why, simply the gratification of rescuing my grandson from the clutches of a much larger enemy."

"Stop joking around," a leery Hook warned, moving closer. "We both know very well that mermaids rarely want anything. The fact that you've made a deal with one is unheard of, and to use such a deal so soon..." He paused, suddenly crossed by a thought. "Crocodile, if you hurt Emma's boy, I swear I'll—"

"You'll what?" spat Rumpelstiltskin. No longer remaining as calm as he was, he approached the captain until they were almost bumping chests. "Do you think saving that boy will be your redemption? That it'll make up for all the lives you've taken? If so, then you are truly mistaken, because nothing can make up for what you've done; and you'll live with those sins for as long as you live."

He didn't hesitate to reply, "I could say the same for you."

"At least I'm not holding onto ghosts in order to live." Rumpelstiltskin eyed him one last time before swiftly turning and walking into the cabin to join the others, his cane clicking beneath him.

Hook's jaw tightened as his teeth clenched together. The anger and resentment burned through the blood in his veins.

"Oh, and speaking of which..." He suddenly paused and reached in his jacket pocket to reveal an all too familiar drawing. After he glimpsed at it, he handed the parchment to Hook. "By the way, I know the feeling of losing a love, but I also know there is a time to give up and move on when there is no way in bringing them back. Three hundred years is enough, don't you think, dearie?"

Once he was out of his sight, a match ignited the firework within Hook as he blew up from the inside out. Swinging his fist against an unused barrel, his hook pierced chunks of the wood, and he stabbed each again and again until the hole in the deck was prominent enough to see through his rage. Panting, Hook kicked the remaining debris and proceeded to place a barrel to cover the hole, silently hoping the Crocodile would be stupid enough to perhaps sit on it and fall into the hold of his ship.

* * *

Loud slams and cries echoed into the Captain's cabin and it took all of Emma's concentration not to flinch or jump up. Rumpelstiltskin had entered a few seconds ago and she could only guess what kind of conversation he had with Hook to get him so fueled to the point of trashing his beloved ship.

"Gold, what did you say to him?" she asked, preparing to scold the man and not giving a damn he was the Dark One.

He took a his place next to Charming as they gathered around the table with a wrinkled map of Neverland placed in the center.

"Worried about your pirate, Miss Swan?"

Charming glared harshly at him and roughly pressed the map out flat.

She blinked, unfazed. "Worried you just pissed off our tour guide through this hell hole is more like it!"

"Rest assured, if anything's wrong with him, it's the cause of his own folly. Now shall we get back to matters at hand?"

Although she didn't believe him entirely, Emma didn't press any further into the conversation.

"Do you have a plan, Rumple?" asked Regina. Her voice was flooded with hope.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Rumpelstiltskin pointed to a lonely spot far from the island on the map. "We are somewhere around here. By nightfall, the Lost Boys will no doubt notice Hook's ship and attempt to board it. The mermaids will play as a distraction and we'll attack the Lost Boys and use them to lead us to Henry."

Snow nodded. "It sounds peachy, but the Lost Boys sound unrestrainable. What if they send word to Peter Pan?"

Rumpelstiltskin's features darkened. "Then we'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen, won't we."

Charming's eyebrows propped up as he understood the implication. He was quick to think of an alternative. "Or maybe we can use that magic you're so fond of and petrify them."

His lips tightened and Charming was reminded of his scaly, more golden features in the Enchanted Forest.

"Magic always comes with a price. And considering we're in _Neverland_ of all worlds, I'd rather not risk it."

"So you think killing children is our only choice?" Snow jumped up.

Regina rolled her eyes. She was almost amused the short, black haired beauty with a heart that would soon turn as dark as night would still play innocent at this point. "Is there another way?"

"There's _always_ another way."

The Evil Queen rose up and joined Snow in their fuming display of differences. "Really? Then why haven't you suggested it?"

Rumpelstiltskin took a step back, distancing himself from what seemed like a long aged rivalry soon igniting once again.

"Regina, look, I know you're upset because of Henry. I understand—"

"What exactly do you understand, Snow? You have your daughter and your husband with you. You have your family. Henry is the only family I have left."

"No," Snow replied, potently. "You have me. No matter what happened in the past, you are still my stepmother and that makes us family."

Emma glanced at Regina, who looked like she had been struck by lightning. Her eyes were saucers and her mouth slightly ajar. The long battle between her mother and Regina was nothing shy of dangerous, for Regina had attempted to murder her too many times to count, and Snow was far too stubborn to sit back as others fought for her.

Throughout the time spent in Storybrooke and finding her own parents, Emma had easily forgotten the familiar tale written in books of Snow White. As a child, it seemed like she already knew the two characters, but now, after Henry opened her eyes, Emma noticed how flat her (and possibly many other children) depiction of them had overshadowed reality. _...Or as real as it can get at this point._

Standing before her, she didn't see a princess waiting for her prince, or a woman set on destroying her stepdaughter because she was prettier than she. Emma saw a woman who sought redemption for her one sinful act in order to protect her family. And on the other half, an older woman who had lost love one too many times, whether it was of her own regard or not. This woman who had a greater lack of hope than her mother, and only allowed herself to be emotionally naked to others in order to recover the only person she had left to love—a child she never birthed but loved unconditionally.

Two women that were so distant yet, ultimately, desired something not too different.

* * *

Emma struggled to sleep that night. Although she took comfort in the fact that Regina, Gold, and herself had cast a strong protection spell over the Jolly Roger, she couldn't help the uncomfortable nightmares that crawled into her head of Henry being taken away from her time and time again, no matter how short lived they were.

With a sour face, Emma sat up from her thin bedding on the wooden floor. Her eyes hovered over the other four sleeping bodies spread out in the room. After a few perverted suggestions from Hook, the group had decided to leave the bed alone. There were four too many people on board, and that was to count a pair already sleeping together. The only pairs that wouldn't pay a second thought were Emma and Snow and her parents. Of course, Charming had insisted he take the floor before even thinking about sleeping in the pirate's quarters, and Hook had similarly rejected the idea of Charming in his bed for reasons of pure awkwardness considering the many tirades they shared. Thus, the decision of preserving the captain's quarters as an emergency room for the ill and injured was born, and all those on crew moved to sleep in the hold.

Emma looked up from her bedding through the hole that had mysteriously made its way on the ship, to see the starry night sky. She had a perfect view of the moon. Surprisingly to her, Neverland wasn't as different as Storybrooke. The moon shone the same, if not brighter and rose with darkness. And if night had arrived and not a sight of any Lost Boys was noticed, it was safe to say the magic had worked and they were getting a rare chance at a good night's sleep.

However, Emma's life had only ever been ironic.

Wide awake, Emma stood up and, slowly and quietly, crept her way out of the hold and up onto the deck. She winced as the floorboards creaked under her toes causing her to glance behind her every now and again. She only exhaled a suppressed sigh when she reached the top and felt the prickling sensation of goosebumps from the cool breeze.

Her eyes closed.

The smell of Neverland was tantalizing and very much different from the fetid stench of fish and the changing temperatures of each season in Maine. Emma had never felt more alive than in that moment, and almost invincible.

Before she could further succumb herself into the beauty of the natures in Neverland, she heard it. It was faint, yet clear to make out all at the same time.

The sound was so alluring it was hard to ignore. And suddenly, her eyes snapped open reluctantly, and she found herself walking towards the edge—her own conscious mind working against her. She saw them in the sea, beautiful beings with hair glistening under the moonlight. Their sea scales reflected a rainbow of colors that shined brighter with each movement.

A beautiful harmony escaped the singing vixen's lips as her arm rose from out of the water, offering a hand to Emma. Emma couldn't help the curiosity that approached her and the sudden need to join this beautiful creature underwater, perhaps to a place even more gorgeous and extravagant as the shore.

"Careful." The dark, tight voice approached beside her. His hand gripped onto her own and pulled her body back to the deck. "Don't want to get too close else you lose your head."

Emma blinked, and immediately understood what had occurred. She cursed herself for letting her guard down so easily. The thought of her teetering on the edge of the ship shook her to her core when she considered what possibilities might have occurred had Hook not saved her. Huffing out a small breath of relief, Emma found her state of mind again but didn't bother pulling her hand away from Hook's, for fear of losing herself once more when she least expected it.

Another head bobbled up along the surface of the water before fully showing her face. She held her head high making sure the pearl tiara was visible and was seemingly the leader of the group. Her voice was melodious and her words articulate.

"Forgive my sisters." She glanced at Emma with sharp eyes glazed in something similar to desire. "It has been some time since we last had such an...enticing visitor in Neverland."

Hook tightened his grip on her hand, and bent down slightly to whisper in her ear, "She's calling you her toy, love."

"I got that," she muttered. With a cough, she spoke in a volume where the mermaids would hear her clearly. "You're here to repay your deal with Rumpelstiltskin, right?"

The leader nodded, her chin sharp and perfectly crafted. "Yes, however, it is not I but my sister who was approached with the irresistible offer."

Even though she had a strong guess, she had to hear it for herself. "And what exactly was this deal?" asked a suspicious Emma.

"And that, is something I think should be kept private from outsiders, if you don't mind me saying." Emma turned around to see Rumpelstiltskin strolling his way on the deck. It was a wonder she didn't hear him approaching them earlier.

She felt Hook stiffen beside her, her hand held in a vice grip. Her heart quickened as she shifted her gaze between both men, waiting for a possible showdown to occur. Instead, both men turned away from each other. Hook, facing away from Rumpelstiltskin, winked at her.

"Go get a good sleep, Swan, because when the sun rises, we'll start preparing for a war."

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**Edit 7/12:** I do understand the difference between sirens and mermaids. The mermaids do not want to eat Emma, they just want to play with her, even if it means she unintentionally ends up drowning.

**Review? Tell me what you think!**

**Go to my account for more information on Daylight.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part II.**

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Snow White felt incredibly uncomfortable and queasy from the rocking of the ship. Even without asking the captain, she was quite aware they had hit complicated waves that had started early in the morning.

After being succumbed with one too many curses, Snow had almost built up an immunity to heavy sleeping and found herself waking up at the most incongruous times. Once she had accepted the fact that the four hours in Storybrooke's time would be the most she would get, Snow had the sudden desire for some fresh air, and maybe a cold blast of wind to help put her out of her petulant mood.

"Don't tell me you sailed the whole night," Snow lightheartedly pleaded as soon as she caught sight of their whistling tour guide. She followed his gaze to the scenery before them and was surprised to see the details of the tall trees shadowing more trees. They were closer to the island than yesterday, which most likely meant Hook was running on few to zero hours of sleep.

He caught her eye almost as quickly as he heard her light footed steps. "Ah! I was wondering who would be my first morning riser."

"Did you sleep at all?" she rephrased the question.

"I've rested if that's what you're asking," he replied a little too cheerfully for Snow's taste.

She walked closer to the bridge and pulled off her backpack. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Hook scoffed. "Darling, I haven't eaten breakfast since my years as a lad."

Snow paused her search for food and incredulously asked, "So what, you just drink rum the whole day?"

He sensed her judgemental tone. "No, but I've learned to live with what I have."

"Well, we have food now," Snow paused to throw him an apple she had brought with her from Storybrooke. "So eat."

Hook easily caught the fruit with his only hand. His facade fell as he looked at Snow, his mouth opening and then closing as if he wanted to say something, but, instead, chose to throw another joke her way. "If this puts me in a deep sleep, don't hesitate to wake me up, love."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't help a small amused smile as he took a gracious bite.

Looking at him now seemed like he was under a different light. Snow had almost missed the fleeting falter in Killian Jones before he reverted back to Hook. _Almost_. Although she had a guess as to why and asking him would be easy, she didn't want to intrude too deep for the sake of courtesy and—

"What do you wish to know?" he asked, prying her from her thoughts. He took another bite of his apple.

"What?"

Hook quirked an eyebrow, finding her surprised reaction comical. "You look like you want to ask me something."

Snow had to admit, she was impressed with Hook's patience after a few minutes had passed and still no answer from her. Deciding to just resolve the stomping elephant in the room, she leaned against his ship (because this could actually take a while) and finally asked, "What's your mother like?"

"I wouldn't know. I don't have one."

"Everyone has a mother," Snow replied, finding his quick answer suspicious.

"Not me." He looked up to the clear and strangely tinted blue sky, reminiscing his youth and the days of him waiting in his so-called home for either parent to return. "My mother left me long ago."

She shook her head, denying the fact that any parent could be so cruel. "I'm sure she had some kind of reason for it. Mothers don't just abandon their children without a reason."

Hook threw her a sarcastic laugh, finding her remarkable faith in humanity astounding. "And your reason was to rely on a wardrobe to put her in an unknown place to fend for herself? It's a wonder she hadn't gotten herself eaten as an infant," he shot back.

"I was supposed to go with her but complications got in the way, Pinocchio was supposed to take care of her, and she didn't get herself eaten so that really isn't a valid argument—do you know for sure your mother abandoned you?" asked Snow in one impressive breath.

Exasperated, Hook huffed out a breath of cold air. She was not going to let this go easily, was she?

"She left when I was young."

"So you remember her leaving you?"

"No, but—"

"Aha!" Snow cheered successfully. "Is that what your father told you? That she left you?"

"Does that matter?"

"Yes, because maybe she didn't mean to leave you. Maybe something happened to her."

"Or maybe my father was telling the truth," argued a narrow-eyed Hook.

"What is going on here?"

After being very much involved in the quarrel, both Hook and Snow jumped from their positions and snapped to the direction of their new guests.

"We could hear you all the way downstairs," Regina complained. She allowed herself to reach for breakfast inside of Snow's backpack.

Emma eyed Hook—because she sure wasn't going to assume her mother initiated a banter with him. "What happened?"

"Nothing much," Snow answered nonchalantly, catching Hook's unwavering stare burning into her, warning her not to say anything unnecessary.

Charming shifted his calculating stance between Hook and his wife before sticking his lip out accepting the answer. "Okay then." He changed the topic, "How much longer until we get to Neverwood?"

Hook tossed his half eaten apple into the sea before turning the helm only slightly continuing down south. The bean had taken them farther from the island as he had hoped, and with the addition of rough winds and waters the past night, it had been hard sailing the Jolly in the right direction.

"We're not going to Neverwood. Not yet at least."

Baffled and completely taken aback, Regina asked, "Excuse me?"

"Where are you taking us?" Rumplestiltskin added, gripping his cane tightly from the anxiety stabbing his gut, warning him of the potential dangers he didn't see coming.

"I promised my crew's assistance, didn't I?" Without another word, Hook nodded his head towards the direction they were sailing. They caught sight of excited hands waving in the air and transcending echoes that sounded similar to "Captain!"

"Skull Rock," muttered an almost amused Rumpelstiltskin, as the cavernous island came into view.

* * *

Charming frowned as he watched Hook slowly saunter down the incline of the ramp acting as a bridge between the ship and the island. The sense of distrust and suspicion took a hold of most of Charming's senses and he made this verbally clear. "I don't trust him."

Emma paused from sharpening the dagger she had found buried in a corner of the hold, no doubt something one of Hook's old pirates had left behind. Her gun would run out of bullets soon enough if she kept that as her only weapon, and she liked the idea of leaving it as a last resort for Greg or Tamara if Peter Pan or his Shadow couldn't take a hit. Maybe the bullets would work on the Shadow like silver bullets supposedly work on werewolves. Anything was fair game in Neverland, and Emma was not about to question the possibilities.

"You don't have to trust him," she answered after a short silence, before continuing her sharpening. She glanced down at the pirates when she heard cheers coming from the men.

Her father turned to look at her, bewilderment seeping into his eyes. "Do you?"

"Do I what?" she asked, dismissing the fact that everyone on the ship who could hear their conversation knew she understood the direction of his question perfectly.

"Emma..." Charming warned in a fatherly tone Emma was not so used to hearing.

Still slightly shaken from almost dying and finally stepping over the line she had marked concerning her parents who had not existed in her life until a year and some days ago, Emma stopped sharpening altogether and wrapped her dagger in a familiar handkerchief she just recently kept in her pocket.

"Look...David." She ignored the flash of knowing defeat that graced the features she had inherited. "I know it's weird, but Hook...he came back."

"Oh, Emma. Don't start," groaned Charming. He spun on his heels to glance at his wife who was in a far corner speaking quietly with Regina and Rumpelstiltskin. "The guy hasn't really been on our side if you hadn't noticed. He knocked me out with a crowbar!"

Emma was quick to defend, "And you punched him back!"

"Doesn't change the fact that he works for himself and only himself."

"What do you think he got out of coming back then?" Emma pointed out. She was dead set on convincing her father to at least stop questioning Hook's motives, if he had any. The more questions he asked, the more apprehensive she and Regina felt. "He could have left with the bean to another portal, but he didn't."

"Maybe he found some kind of hidden pie flavor that only exists in another land."

"What?" Emma frowned, clearly not understanding where this conversation was heading. "That doesn't make sense."

"Shut up, I'm hungry."

"Oh God, we really are related."

He knew Emma most likely said it as a make up for referring him to anything other than what a daughter normally called her father, but the fact that she was willing to acknowledge their relationship informed him that her walls were up but not entirely. Not as high as they were when she first found out her lineage. Charming couldn't help the proud grin growing on his face.

* * *

"We saw her flag, Cap'n. Came as soon as we could," one of the older crew mates explained as soon as he spotted Hook descending the ship. Hook nodded and shook his hand appreciatively.

"Very good, Thad."

"Captain!" A younger boy around the age of early adulthood quickly beat the rest of the crowd as he came up to his captain, grinning like he had just won five treasure chests all in one sitting.

Hook grinned and gripped the boy's shoulder tightly and welcoming. "Timbers, my boy!"

"Gods, Captain," Timbers replied as he stared at Hook's face in awe. "You actually look older than when we last saw you..."

Belting out a laugh, Hook shook his head, purely amused. "Predicaments have changed quite a bit, Timbers." He gave an appreciative nod to the others. "And speaking of predicaments, I've asked for your assistance to help rescue a boy named Henry. His family is aboard my ship as we speak, and I promised them my help."

One rose up from his seat on an elevated rock, a threatening hand pressed against the pricey looking cutlass he no doubt conquered in the past. "Do they wish tah blackmail, ya, Cap'n? I'll run my sword right through them."

"Keep your sword in your scabbard, Vane. I just owe them."

Vane nodded, accepting his answer. "Then we'll fight with you, Cap'n!"

Eager nods gave way of their already made decision, and though Hook was sure they would follow him even in death, he wanted to allow his men a choice considering the possible consequences in his request.

"Peter Pan's captured the boy. We have to bring him back. Now, I understand you have families of your own. If you find this too risky, you are free to go without any consequences."

"Nonsense, Captain," someone shouted. "We stay with you!"

A round of agreeable cheers followed and Hook knew there was no room for discussion.

"Those are the people you've brought with you?" asked another man, openly admiring two figures that chatted among each other.

"Hot damn, he's brought women with him!"

"We aren't lonely sailors tonight, lads!"

Hook allowed them to hoot for a few more seconds before regaining their attention once more, blaming it on their lack of time rather than the disturbing revelation of what these pirates wouldn't hesitate to do to a woman without warning.

"Settle down now, boys. Go find your pleasure elsewhere. No one touches those women up there, you hear me?"

"Pity," joked Thad. "I see Jonny-boy eyeing that pretty short haired one."

"The name's Timbers," grumbled the bored sounding boy who had corrected Thad one too many times.

Hook smiled, approvingly. "Your taste has improved I see. Sadly, that one is already the wife to the man with a striking resemblance to a young lost pup."

"The man beside the pretty blonde?" Timbers smirked.

Hook nodded thoughtlessly, and answered with a tone equally soft. "Yes, beside the beautiful blonde."

The toothy grin on Timbers face quickly washed out when he noticed the oddly clear skinned man watching them from afar, occasionally turning to make conversation with the two dark haired women. With a flash of recognition, Timbers crossed his arms, quietly gripping the dagger he kept looped through his belt. The dagger was somewhat dull and Timbers was well aware that such a weapon would not hold its own against the Dark One, but seeing as how he had practically leaped out of his seat in the tavern when the message of his captain returning to Neverland spread to all the sailors of the Jolly Roger, he failed to spend much time sharpening the precious weapon he never thought he'd use again. "What's _he_ doing here?"

"Captain..." George, a red headed muscled man that characterized constant heavy lifting trailed off cautiously, quite aware of how sensitive the certain topic was for the man he swore his loyalties.

"Like I said." Hook drifted to their line of sight and his lips twitched madly, tauntingly, at the sight of the Crocodile's fearful gaze staring back at his men. He let out a sharp whistle and a wave of his hand and waited for their tentative guests to join them. "Predicaments have changed."

Thad's eyes squinted, displaying his confusion as he tried to work out the situation like a puzzle. "We're working with the Dark One?"

Hook shrugged loosely. "Stranger things have happened." He kept his eyes on the Crocodile as he walked closer to the ramp and passed Hook, but not before turning an unpleasant glance his way. Hook, being the witty character he was, gave Rumpelstiltskin a sardonic, tight lipped smile in return; and then proceeded to hold a pleasant hand up for Emma, the second to the last to exit the ship, as she got closer to the ground of Skull Rock.

She brushed it off easily and, instead, voiced, "You're really into this gentlemen thing, aren't you." It wasn't a question but a statement of her observances, and Hook was quite flattered she had taken the time to observe, and showed this when he gave her a dazzling grin.

Following Emma, Charming cursed as he tripped on one of the metal bars nailed against the ramp, which ultimately led to an even more aggravated traveler. "Why are we here, Hook?" he seethed as soon as he made a safe landing on the flat rocks hidden in the hollow regions of Skull Rock. "We're wasting time. We need to find Henry."

"Patience, mate," Hook answered rolling his eyes, finding Charming's impetuous state of mind dull. "We'll find him. But first, we need supplies if we want to pull off this devious plan of yours."

"Supplies?" Regina's eyes wandered around the cave, taking in the disorganized treasure chests that peeked over the waters and the different forms of souvenirs that were absentmindedly littered around the elevated cliffs here and there. "What are we supposed to use here? Coins to poke out Peter Pan's eye?"

"Tried that," Timbers said.

"Pan already knows I'm here. He's keeping a watchful eye on the Jolly, which is why he'll be sending his Lost Boys over to check on me when darkness rises," Hook explained. He pointed to his ship. "What he doesn't know, is that on this ship lies you five. If I sail the Jolly to Neverwood, he'll no doubt be suspicious to see strangers. The fact that he has Greg and Tamara with him is already bad enough if they notice and say something of our alliance."

"And he'll catch on that we're trying to get Henry back," finished Emma.

"Exactly," he replied proudly.

George perked up when a thought crossed his mind. "If you want to take down the Lost Boys, you'll need inside men."

Nodding, Hook stroked his scruffy beard thoughtfully, not having gotten that far in the details of the plan. The Lost Boys would no doubt search his ship and it would be too hard to hide five human beings. It had been easy with Baelfire considering his size. Charming could pass for a pirate with a few wardrobe changes, but Rumpelstiltskin was too recognizable; and the women would be too easily noticed, especially if Greg or Tamara decided to tag along to search the Jolly.

But they could do with only a few minutes as soon as the boys stepped foot onto his ship. The only problem was what to do once they entered Pan's lair. If they wanted to proceed stealthily into Neverwood, they had to get rid of Pan's henchmen...

His lips curled up in a wild, cunning smirk.

* * *

Emma was thankful they had some time before Henry's rescue for it had given them a chance to properly stretch their legs. After the necessities were collected, the day had been spent sharing stories of both realms, Storybrooke and Neverland, and it almost allowed Emma to wash down the urge to throw up from her nerves.

But Emma was more than enough aware how this stressful search was affecting her when she started heaving into the sea at a far corner from the rest. She spat in disgust and wearily held onto the rock wall that had been supporting her weight. Wiping her mouth, she blinked back tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes. A sudden touch on her back soothed her and she was surprised to find she didn't even care who it was.

Craning her head back, she had expected either her father or even Hook, but was surprised to find a man with bright green eyes, aged with knowledge of the sea, staring back at her. He was just about her height when she stood up straight, attempting to look intimidating to wash out any thoughts this pirate might have of her being a vulnerable woman.

Her reaction didn't faze him as he continued to smile, with a knowing look as if he was well aware how everything was taking a toll on Emma.

"Feel better, miss?"

She exhaled a sharp breath, allowing the tenseness in her body to leave her. "Yeah. Thanks." His name escaped her. "Who are you again?"

He let out a low chuckle, something akin to what Emma thought a grandpa would sound like.

"The name's Thad, miss." He held out a hand for a polite handshake.

She nodded, his answer reassuring her of a name she couldn't pinpoint. "Emma Swan," she introduced herself, slipping her hand through his and gave a tight shake, feeling the hardened calluses against his palm. "Thanks for helping us."

"Thank you for taking care of our captain."

"I wouldn't really say I took care of him..."

"Don't be so modest, girlie. Captain doesn't take kindly to doing favors for just anyone."

Emma's expression didn't change, but her mouth went dry as she tried to think of a possible reason that Hook was helping them, a question that continuously ran through her head the moment he sailed back and offered her the bean.

Desperate for a way to divert the oncoming conversation she knew the old man was pining to hear, she smoothly and casually asked, "So, how long have you known Hook?"

He chuckled, reminiscing his less wrinkly years in Ireland before he started his adventures in Neverland. "Killian was a young lad when I first came upon him on the streets of Ulster. Abandoned by his parents and stubborn as a mull." Thad fingered his beard that was growing to be the length of his fingers. "I remember, boy was starving but refused to become a thief."

Scoffing, Emma shook her head, not believing Captain Hook wasn't one for stealing. It was practically in his blood. "You're kidding right? He's a pirate. Stealing is like, a job requirement."

Thad gave her a crooked grin, his nose twitching upwards as he did so. "Aye, but he wasn't always a pirate."

"What changed?"

He shrugged, possibly unsure of the exact answer. "He stopped seeing the good in people, I suppose."

"What about when he was with Milah?"

"You know about Milah, Miss Swan?"

Emma ignored the sparkle in his eyes. "I know she was important to Hook, he lost her, and spent his whole life dedicated to avenging her," she summed up, intentionally leaving out Rumpelstiltskin's part in the situation in case Thad and the rest of the pirates were unaware of that information. Just the thought of Hook's crew trying to murder Rumpelstiltskin in his sleep was enough of a distraction and an extra thing to worry about.

"Yet, here he is, aligning with Milah's murderer to find a kid."

"So...you know Gold—Rumpelstiltskin killed Milah...but you'll still help us?"

"Milah was part of our family, yes, but her death was one we've all seen before. However, if Captain Hook makes the order to kill the Dark One, we will complete the task."

She blinked at the unpredictable answer. "That's comforting to know."

"Don't fret, Miss Swan. Our Captain is quite a dedicated lad if you hadn't noticed. He won't give up this search for the boy."

"That honestly doesn't make me feel any better considering he drove himself mad trying to accomplish his revenge and now he's...not," Emma finished, trying to make sense of the events that had occurred just days ago.

Thad looked as if he were contemplating her perspective and muttered an unsure, "Maybe," before boldly stating, "Or maybe he's just found a reason to live."

It was quiet and Emma refused to say anything to break it, because she had no idea _what_ to say. Thad sounded so sure of himself, and Emma was hardly one to compete with someone who had known Hook for practically his entire life.

Just as Emma was preparing herself to say goodbye and tread back to when she thought Hook was still a thieving pirate—

"_I thought you didn't care about anyone but yourself."_

_ "Maybe I just needed reminding that I could."_

Emma swallowed a thick gulp of reconsideration. Maybe Thad was right. Maybe people could change.

Thad eyed her carefully, admiring the doubt that was slowly dwindling. "Are you the kid's sister?"

"Excuse me?" asked Emma, her head snapping back to him.

"The kid we're gonna find," Thad clarified. "Captain told us you were his family. Besides, you look awfully distraught and I can't think of another reason."

"I'm his mother."

He nodded. "What's his name?"

"I hope you aren't telling her anything unnecessary."

A leery Hook made himself noticeable as he walked out of the thick shadows of the cave. His eyes glazed over Emma, examining the twitch in her fingers, the slow movement of her body sliding back to one, the loose arm that fell to her side.

Thad cleared his throat and began to walk to the direction of the ship where everyone else waited. "Oh, you know me. Always tend to speak too much." He gave a silent nod to Emma, who smiled back at him. "I'll see you both on the ship."

"Henry."

Thad turned around, unsure whether she was talking to him or Hook, but he understood who she meant when Emma stared him down, hope filling the rim of her eyes.

"My son. His name's Henry."

He stayed in the same position, expression clear before realizing he had achieved what he wanted. His eyes crinkled as he winked. With a small smirk, Thad ignored the confusion in Hook's face and departed back to the ship, barking out orders as he came into view with the other sailors.

"Making friends I see?"

Emma turned to look at Hook, who had yet to divert his attention from Thad's back, even as the old man began climbing up the ramp.

"Sure," she said in a voice that was too high pitched for her liking, attempting to lighten up the mood. "If you try anything on me, I'm going to need a partner in crime to toss you off your ship and then use bleach to get rid of the evidence."

With a glance, his eyes shifted and his brows drew together as he mentally tried to identify the definition of bleach. "Savvy."

Almost immediately, he noticed the minuscule sweat drops that were forming on her forehead and the loss of a natural blush he was so used to seeing in her complexion. It wasn't seasickness that was rocking her metaphorical boat, he knew as much since she had shown no signs of uneasiness other than for the search in general.

"You alright, lass?"

She wondered whether he was asking out of sincerity or obligation. "Just peachy."

He evaluated her physical state of health, and Emma tried not to think of what else his perverse mind was thinking as his eyes ran over her body. "Right," he replied loudly, causing Emma to jump a little. Hook waved a hand towards the ship. "We're getting ready to sail."

"Yeah." She nodded. "Let's go find Henry."

As they walked to the dock, Hook offered her his arm which she quickly refused, instead preferring to take the time to rethink her newly acquired information about her new companion.

"I hear you weren't always a thief," she hesitantly worded.

She expected a surprised look on his face and he delivered. Watching her precariously through his dark lashes, he replied slowly, "I didn't want to be like my father."

Emma snorted, and almost regretted it out of sheer politeness had it not been for the pensive expression that crossed his features. "...I'm sorry, but, you're sort of a pirate now..."

They were closer to the ship now and Emma refused to take the hint to walk in a slower stride, leaving Hook the only choice to talk softer.

"I thought being a good person would help me," he began, sounding remorseful. "But in the end, I realized that in this world, if you don't have money, you don't have anything."

"Sort of..." Emma searched for the right words. "Grim outlook on life."

"Darling, when you've been around as long as I have—"

She rolled her eyes as soon as he uttered the sentence, immediately recognizing the too familiar line. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Three hundred year old pirate sailing the bloody seas. You know, that's your most overused line since I've met you."

He smiled and though she had seen him smiling many times before, something about this smile just dazzled; and in that moment, much to her chagrin, she swore her heart had leaped.

* * *

**EDIT 7/5/13: **I forgot to go over the break lines and I missed some spelling errors. It's fixed now but I just want to slap myself.

**A/N: **Just a note that Thad knew Henry's name before he talked to Emma, because Hook told his crew. If you caught that, it was intentional, if you didn't...well, you know now.

This chapter was initially going to be longer and include a lot more action to where they finally fight with Pan and Emma, Hook, and Henry get transported to the mental AU, but it was making it longer than I wanted and stood strongly as a chapter of its own. So the exciting part will be coming next chapter. Since I already have a skeleton outline done, I should be able to upload it quicker than this chapter, but don't hold me on that.

Keep reading, and I promise, things will get more exciting next chapter!

x

_Alternative Angel__: Love you, babycakes. _

_Wandering Lady: Pretty angsty!_

_Anonymous: I hear what you're saying about unconditional love. The way I view Regina is that she's getting to loving Henry unconditionally. It's just my perspective, but I see her sacrificing herself for Henry and, like when she was about to let Emma die, saved her because of Henry. But again, everyone has a different perspective when they view the show, especially characters as complex as Regina; so thank you so much for your input. _

x

Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites, and alerts! Keep them coming!


	3. Chapter 3

**Part III.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

Something had gone wrong.

Hook knew this immediately when he opened his eyes and found himself staring at the back of a naked woman in an unfamiliar bed. Now, usually, he would find this situation strangely amusing, if it weren't for the fact that he recognized the blonde locks, gracing her long neck and pillow, right off the bat. _How_ this had happened, because Hook was more than sure the lass would rather die than find herself in this specific predicament, was beyond him.

He contemplated what he should do in a situation such as this and was mixed with the urge to sneak out and avoid a clash that would no doubt occur, or pretend to be asleep and let her find out for herself.

As fate would have it, the decision was out of his hands when she started rolling to face him and his train of thought iced over with absolute uncertainty. At a loss for the right words, Hook put on the most charming smile and gave her a nice "Morning, lover," greeting when her blue-green eyes flickered open.

**Many Hours Ago**

Unsure eyeballs rolled to look at each other and then to the peculiar object resting on a table in the captain's quarters.

Timbers stood from his kneeled position and asked the question that sprung in his mind the minute their new companions had emptied their pockets. "So this contraption is suppos' to kill a man?"

"Careful, it's deadlier than it looks."

"You've used one before, Captain?"

Leaning comfortably in the sole chair in the room, Regina snorted, her attention keeping still on cleaning the dirt from under her nails. "Give him a gun and he'll shoot your girlfriend in the back."

Charming's eyes immediately flew as he became more cautious of the escalating situation. Rumpelstiltskin's fingers twitched as he grabbed his cane from the wall, but thankfully kept still. Charming noticed Hook lightly touching his right arm along the tattooed reminder.

Smiling to herself, Regina looked up as if to check how many people agreed with her, only to see Snow's glare and nod towards the two men that needed no introduction to the game of revenge. "Too soon?"

"You think?" Emma replied to Regina's innocent assumption. She stared, baffled, as Regina continued to examine her nails.

"How can you be so calm? Henry's your son too."

Off to the side, Corky, a younger fellow who had earned his nickname from his talent of opening even the tightest of bottles (which came incredibly handy when the men were too pissed to even tell the top from the bottom) confusedly asked, "Wait, I thought blondie was the mom?"

"Maybe they're in cahoots," suggested one pirate.

"What?"

"Melding their gold," rephrased another.

"Huh?"

"Feelin' each other's melons?"

"Um...?"

Timbers groaned. "Together, Corky. Maybe they're _together_."

"Like...Captain and Mil-" He choked on his words as his fellow mate elbowed him hard in the stomach, sending him into a coughing fit.

Slightly annoyed at being disrupted from her task, Regina sighed and sat forward in her seat. "Don't think that just because I'm not pacing around and throwing magic at the first thing that looks at me, I'm not doing my absolute best to save Henry." She leaned back. "But even I know when my magic is powerless and that's here."

"Magic works entirely differently in Neverland," Rumpelstiltskin supported.

Regina nodded. "Besides, we've already got a plan and as long as we follow it, things should conclude smoothly. There's not much we can do from here."

George sneered. "Fighting them Lost Boys will never amount to a smooth ending."

Charming frowned. "Well, the mermaids who are helping us are bringing sirens with them so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Sirens? What in the bloody hell he talkin' 'bout, Cap'n?"

"Ah, I may have forgotten to mention," Hook began as he quit fiddling with the buttons on his coat. "There's been a change in plans."

"What do you mean _a change in plans_?!"

"I mean that I'm tossing the Crocodile's ridiculous idea to use blood sucking vermin of the sea to save an innocent child."

Rumpelstiltskin had Hook by the neck, a position he was far too used to with the travelers on his ship.

"Captain!" shrieked Timbers. His eyes panicked as he reached for his dagger.

"Calm down, he won't hurt him," assured Regina, her voice incredibly bored; yet, her eyes told a different story, one of interest and amusement.

The debonair sparkling eyed man scrunched his face together and made a gruesome expression. "Your Belle might find this close proximity of yours quite fetching, but I can't say the same for me."

He let out a grunt as Rumpelstiltskin pushed him roughly against the wall, who ignored the orders from Thad to remove his currently non-scaly hands from Hook. "Is this all a joke to you?" he seethed; and enunciated, in a low growl, the following words. "I am trying to save my grandson and you are ruining everything."

"I am helping more than you can imagine," Hook immediately spat back. He quickly waved off a reluctant Thad, who had prepared to release his sword, with his hook. "Go about your way and we'll all be dead before the flesh-eating fairies can even get to us."

Peter, not to be mistaken with Peter Pan but rather an older member of the Jolly, wiggled his eyebrows at Snow. "They use bones to build their nests, y'know?"

"How nice," she replied, partly flattered from his obvious attraction to her.

Charming zeroed in on the two men, jumping into the banter. "So what, you just call off the mermaids whenever you want?" He looked at Rumpelstiltskin. "Can he even do that?"

Hook rolled his eyes at the prince's words. It was torture listening to the man prattle on like a hero was all he ever was and would be. "I didn't call them off. I sent them to find a way back for us. If anyone can find a portal, it's the mermaids."

"Storybrooke is not your home."

Looking at Charming with slanted eyes filled with mirth, he boldly corrected him, "I never said that, but yes. Storybrooke isn't my home; however, I figure you can't deny me residency after we've rescued the boy. After all, I am risking my life as much as you."

Charming inhaled a short breath ready to continue the argument, but Hook was quick to continue before the much lighter dressed man could utter another word. "In case you haven't noticed, we used the last bean to get here, so when the mermaids find a way and it ends up being even more death-defying than Neverland, you'll have something to hold on to other than that God awful attire you strap on to yourself."

He smirked when he heard the snickering of his crew.

Regina leaned in to her stepdaughter. "Did he just make fun of his holster?"

"Yup," answered Snow, finding this an inappropriate time to laugh with the clear knowledge of how much her husband enjoyed wearing the accessory.

"How did you even pull that off?" Emma asked before she glanced at the limp man who had just let go of the pirate. "I thought Gold was the one with the deal?"

Hook pressed down his distressed collar that was now folded in bunches. "I guess I'm just a tad more convincing." He looked over at Rumpelstiltskin and pursed his lips as if he were criticizing his choice in clothing (which he sort of was). "And a hell of a lot more attractive."

Rolling her eyes, Regina frustratingly inquired, "Then what do you suggest we do since you've bargained away our secret weapon?"

"Simple. We fight them ourselves."

"I thought the Lost Boys were too powerful to fight with only us?" Emma directed the question to Thad, who shrugged loosely.

"Never said it was impossible, miss."

Hook continued, "This fight can go one of two ways. One, we fight, somehow win, and force them to take us to Pan. Or two, we fight, lose chivalrously, and hope they decide to drop us off to Pan before they feed us to Neverland."

"So your plan is to get us to meet Peter either way?" clarified Snow.

"What if we lose and they don't take us to him?" a not so optimistic Rumpelstiltskin challenged.

"_If_ we lose, then..." He threw a teasing stare to Emma, his blue eyes filled with a secret he would only ever kiss and then tell. "We run like hell."

His smile only grew as the sudden imagination of her lips parting slightly, a surprised flutter in her eyelashes, and her eyebrows raising a few centimeters higher flashed into his mind.

"Deja vu, Emma?"

* * *

Night had come and soon enough, they were preparing for their unknown fate that would ultimately lead them home or, in worst case scenario, death. The air was chilly and the sea coated with thin layered fog. Around the heavy mist that veiled the ship, uncomfortable cries and weeping echoed, reverberating through the magic wood of the Jolly Roger.

"What was that?" Emma asked as she stayed woven between the pirates who had gathered on one side of the ship. For fear of revealing her identity too soon, Hook had made sure she was sneakily camouflaged with his men. He had done a number on her by ordering her to pull her hair up under a thick bandana and dressing her in pirate clothes over her regular clothes.

Beside her, Timbers frowned and stood up straighter, attempting to get a better listen as to what Emma was referring. When he was still unable to pinpoint it, he asked, "What was what?"

"It sounds like someone's crying," she replied. She rubbed her arms and could feel the little goosebumps surfacing her skin.

Timbers' eyes sparkled as he let out an "Oh!" when he finally understood. "Those are only cries of children who have been apart from their homes for far too long," he explained matter of factly, as if he had rehearsed it every night before he had gone to bed. Still grinning, he turned to Emma, who could feel any amount of confidence drop into the pits of her soul. Timbers' eyes widened and he quickly attempted to reassure her, "Don't worry. It happens every night."

Emma choked on her words as she stared at him and back to the direction of the wails.

Her mind twisted disturbingly at the thought of one of those cries potentially being Henry, begging to return home to her. Oh God, he's probably scared out of his mind, she thought. What if he was being tortured? The things he could be exposed to... The air around her suddenly grew stiff.

"Good God boy, she's searching for her bloody son!" scolded Thad. He quickly gave Emma comforting pat on her back. "Think before you speak."

Gulping, the nervous younger boy quickly said to Emma, "My apologies, miss."

Emma seemingly ignored his attempt to end the conversation. "They're staying because of Peter Pan, right? The kids? Do you think Henry's with them?"

Hook pushed past bulky and hairy limbs, sharp objects clanking against each other as they dangled on his hook. "Relax, Swan." Hook moved to stand in front of her. Timbers and Thad both shifted to physically include Hook in the conversation. "He needs Henry. He won't hurt him."

The uncertainty in his voice did nothing to improve Emma's worries.

"Why won't he let them leave?"

"Who knows." His eyes darkened and were clouded with an emotion that unnerved Emma. "Perhaps he's grown tired of being alone."

Hook caught Emma staring at him before she even realized it herself. He raised his hook carelessly, offering Emma a weapon and couldn't suppress a wicked grin when, instead of his plenty generous offers, she reached past him to grab a hold of the straight sword (he deemed it one of his best successes) from his sole hand.

Timbers raised an amused brow, questioning whether a woman such as she could even wield a sword properly. Before, he would have stereotypically thought women fit the barmaid atmosphere better, of course, that was before Milah joined their crew. She had marked in the records as the first ever first mate on the Jolly Roger, and stayed true to the title; but as adventurous and daring Milah was, even she was unable to fend off Peter Pan by herself. "Sorry, miss, but are you sure you can handle that? Oh, no, I don't mean it like that. I mean to ask if you're capable of fighting one of them Lost Boys by yourself, much less Pan."

The thought of killing a Lost Boy made her gears screech and stop, but the thought of Henry fueled her and she realized, disturbing to her conscience, that she would strike down anyone that tried to stop her from finding her son. "I've slain a dragon before, so I'd like to think I can handle it."

Hook was proud at the awed faces she left in the room on the ones who did not know her like he did. "She doesn't look it, but she's quite extraordinary."

Corky sighed, "Phenomenal is more like it."

"Careful you don't drool," joked Thad.

George nodded to Emma. "How you liking that sword, pretty lady?"

She nodded, satisfied, throwing the sword up in the air just shy of a few inches. "Lightweight. Swift." Emma pricked her fingers across the blade. "Nicely sharpened."

"Glad you think so." Hook grinned and exhaled a chuckle, finding her admiring expression fascinating and, dare he admit, _adorable_.

"Don't get me wrong, Emma, but your affinity for swords is truly captivating and incredibly sexy."

"If you hadn't put me in this ridiculous costume**—" **She lifted the baggy edges of her shirt as an example. She had no idea how Hook thought she could fight with this..._gigantic curtain _on and now that she thought about it, maybe that was the entire point. To keep her from kicking ass. That conniving son of a—, "I'd probably punch you for that."

A sudden thought crossed her mind as she glanced to the dysfunctional family that joined her. "Speaking of which, why am I the only one dressed up?"

"I just wanted to see how you'd look in my clothes, and you are just ravishing, I must say."

He barely escaped a flying sword that swung his way.

The sudden action caught the attention of many folks on board, and Snow and Charming quickly ceased their conversations with some older pirates as they practically sprinted to their daughter's side.

"Are you alright, Emma?" Snow asked, as Charming glanced at Emma before narrowing his eyes in warning to Hook.

Hook stepped back and raised his hand and hook in defeat to her father, but continued to stare at Emma before smiling again. Emma wasn't sure what it meant or why she found herself speechless every time; but she understood that Hook was starting to get into this habit of smiling at her and she was becoming more and more restless with every silent glance. It would be ridiculous to say she didn't notice some kind of connection with him that led to an inevitable attraction.

No, it would only be ridiculous if she acted on it.

"I'm fine." Prohibiting any more distractions from her son, she changed the topic. "I'll take this one," said Emma dryly.

"Clever choice," he approved after a moment, and turned when he heard his name being called.

Vane rushed to circle around the crow's nest, bending down and warning, "They're here!" dragging Hook's attention above him and then forward to the sea. Timbers had suddenly appeared next to him and quickly retrieved the swords from his captain's hook.

"How many men do they carry?"

Vane turned back around and raised his spyglass to the sea once more. "Six rowboats, five in each, Cap'n!"

Timbers' eyes widened. "Thirty?!"

Hook frowned. "Tch, is he sending a bloody army?"

"Ten meters!" warned Vane, his eye staying glued to his spyglass.

"What's our backup plan?" Charming asked from behind.

Raising his own spyglass up to the waters, Hook answered, "We don't need a backup plan."

Charming's shoulders sagged as he stared at the man before him, and incredulously exclaimed, "What do you mean we don't need a**—"**

"Emma," Hook interrupted, his voice hitched with a fear he was praying wasn't real. "Come here."

He turned to face her and gestured for Emma to take the spyglass. Suspicious, she kept her eyes on him before she raised to see through the mini telescope, and gasped when she saw the fleet of Lost Boys sailing their way closer and closer; and in the very front—

"Henry! Greg and Tamara are with him too."

As if his name was a trigger, Regina approached them and asked, "Henry? Is he alright?!"

Ignoring her inquiry, Emma turned to the man at her side, waiting for Hook to shed light on the newly acquired situation.

Catching on to the secretive stares between the two, Charming asked, "Hook, what is it?"

"Five meters!" charmed Vane from afar.

Hook sighed and combed his fingers through the loose hair brushing his forehead. "Henry is on the ship with the Lost Boys, but the Shadow's controlling him."

Snow blinked rapidly. "How is he—it—whatever controlling Henry?"

"The Shadow has attached itself to him," Rumpelstiltskin quickly answered. "He's taken Henry's body as a host." He pinched the bridge of his nose, his lips hung low in frustration.

"A host?!" exclaimed Regina. "Well, how the hell do we get Henry back?"

Timbers inserted, "By splitting him from the Shadow."

"And how do we do that?" asked Snow.

Hook and Rumpelstiltskin shared a nervous exchange before Rumpelstiltskin simply stated, "We curse him. I have to get as close to Henry as possible to affect the Shadow."

Charming blinked. "But, how do you avoid cursing Henry?"

"That's the hard part." Hook fingered for his men to gather as he took a sword from Timbers. He faced Emma. "Sorry to tell you but the current events seem to be leaning towards a third plan."

"There's a third plan?" Emma tilted her head as she readied herself in a fighting stance, holding the sword tightly in her palms. "Please tell me that's the one where we fight and still win."

"I would—"

A grappling hook flew above them, releasing a gasp from Snow, and clung onto the edge of the ship. Hook's lips quirked just slightly, but it didn't hide the fear in his voice that disturbed Emma greatly. "But your ability to detect lies won't bring you much comfort."

"How convenient."

* * *

The events that followed Hook's final statement was a blur, even as Emma lived in that very moment. More grappling hooks had attached to the edge of the ship on all sides, but it wasn't until the first body came flying up that chaos had ensued. War cries from Hook's men were shared and soon, bodies tumbled together.

Charming, Snow, and Emma had attempted to stay together but, alas, such was impossible as the odds weren't the least bit fair. The Lost Boys had the advantage of sixteen more hooded bodies flinging around weapons, varying from daggers to swinging chain shots, but there was no time for Emma to complain about fairness when she had three flying towards her.

She ducked as one aimed to cut off her head, but before she received a chance to display her fighting abilities, Corky had masterly maneuvered between the fight and threw a hard punch into a face, with a strength Emma would have never guessed he would possess.

"Don't you worry, miss. I'll protect you!"

He busied himself with the two other attackers, but failed to take note of a fourth hooded figure who climbed above Corky and was ready to jump him with a cutlass. Corky would have dropped dead in an instant if Emma hadn't skillfully thrown a dagger straight into the Lost Boy's arm.

As the boy's cringing body fell, Corky stared back at Emma, wide eyed and shocked. Her confidence shined through her exterior as she grinned, proud of her success.

"Careful, lads," echoed Hook on the other side of the ship. He cut down one boy before glancing at Emma, a smile sprawling its way to his lips. "That one's got the making of a pirate."

George heaved a burst of hearty laughter and replied, "You can say that again, Captain."

Regina and Rumpelstiltskin were behind her, blasting away attackers and all in the same time trying to keep Hook's ship afloat against the equally greater magic Pan had brought with him: Tinker Bell.

In a twist of events, what Emma had thought was a mere children's story had turned into her greatest nightmare; and Regina and Rumpelstiltskin were there to confirm it as they wiped sweat from their foreheads and continued to hold their own against the magical fairy tossing the worst of fairy dust at them, which glowed in the dark sky like fireworks, beautiful and dangerous. Like most things in Neverland.

On the other side of her, she saw Timbers and another pirate whose name escaped her, as they defended themselves; however, the other pirate fell as soon as his body was lodged with two swords at once. Timbers stood beside him, mouth ajar with an unspoken name, and in a flash of a second, the calm, flirty boy that had greeted them turned into a blood seeking avenger.

"Damn it, Malley!" he screamed his friend's name in anguish as he sliced one of the Lost Boys in two and imbedded his dagger into the other's neck.

From the corner of her eyes, she could see Greg climbing aboard the ship, a gun in his hand.

"Regina!" she yelled and Regina followed her pointed finger, and sneered as she started to collect magic in her palms.

But before Regina could run towards Greg, leaving Rumpelstiltskin to his own defenses, Tinker Bell had released powerful paralysis powder conjured from her palms. Behind Regina, Greg had spotted her and pointed his gun, shooting three rounds at her. She quickly ducked behind the closest protective object as a mixture of fairy dust and wood splinters rained around her.

Rumpelstiltskin winced as his fingers wrapped around the closest thing he could use to pull himself up. He looked down to see his leg sparkling in Tinker Bell's magic, most feeling lost other than a strain that sent jolts up through his body. Distracted, Rumpelstiltskin failed to notice another paralysis powder Tinker Bell was forming in her hands before he was blasted in his back.

Emma maneuvered around the fight towards Greg and made a move to attack him, but a Lost Boy had suddenly grabbed a hold of her arm and attempted to stab her with his dagger. She quickly lurched her body away from him as much as possible before twisting her arm away and kicking him back into a middle of another fight. She grabbed her gun that was nicely tucked in her jeans before twisting to turn towards Greg, aware that the situation had escalated to a showdown.

Before Greg pulled the trigger aimed at Emma, his body was forcibly pulled around and a fist flew, his head twirling, sending him to his knees. As he fell unconscious, Emma lowered her gun when she saw Hook behind Greg's body, shaking the pain away from his fist.

"Payback's a bitch, eh?" he hypothetically asked as he gave Greg a little kick. He bent behind him to take hold of the sword he left on the ground.

"Emma?! You alright?" She could hear her mother shouting amidst the slowly dwindling chaos.

"I'm fine!" she replied. "What about you and David?"

She found that she didn't need an answer when Snow had taken a bow from a fallen Lost Boy and shot three arrows one after another, each hitting their marks. Meanwhile, beside her, almost in sync, Charming had expertly and single-handedly fought off four at a time. Although he had taken a liking to the sheriff outfit, holding a sword in his hands again was like a missing part of himself**—**his body, his mind, his personality, his character**—**had regenerated.

He turned to glance at his daughter to voice his excitement, but the smile he wore slid off like water, his eyes widening. "Emma! Behind you!"

Emma could hear a distant click and even though she was aware it was too late, her hand moved to her gun anyway.

"Drop it, and put your hands up."

"Tamara, don't do this."

She could hear a chuckle behind her.

"I shot my fiancé, Emma. Don't think I won't shoot you too."

Reluctantly, Emma raised her arms and turned around slowly, a frown marring her face.

* * *

Emma was in quite a predicament as far as he could tell, Charming and Snow had been cornered, no doubt from trying to save their daughter, and Regina was barely holding up on her own defenses against Tinker Bell with the Crocodile splayed on the ground. His fingers twitched weakly for some upper hand, but he had fallen on his chest and his position called for too many blind spots blocking his sight for what he would be hitting if he were to cast a spell. It was too dangerous and Rumpelstiltskin did not want to take the chance of hitting his own.

The pirates who had stood their own were now being overpowered by the larger group of Lost Boys who began to surround them, stepping over bodies; and soon, Hook found himself on the losing end. His eyes flashed dangerously back and forth, trying to find some way out, but every theory ended with one of them falling dead on the floor**—**whether it be the Charmings or his men or even himself.

"You might as well give up, Captain," a familiar snobby tone suggested. Although his voice was different, his cocky nature was the same.

Hook sighed and licked his lips. "Pan," he greeted, turning around.

Staring back at him in a body that was not his at all, flew an irony of all ironies, for the boy he was to save was now the boy who refused to grow up.

Regina's lip quivered as she saw her son, eyes shining a different identity, but still seemingly the same. "Henry?"

Henry**—**Peter Pan did not break his stare from Hook and nonchalantly pointed out, "You look older."

"That's generally what happens when you decide to leave Neverland," joked Hook before he awkwardly added, "Not that you would know..."

"Are you sure you're in a position to joke? After all, your current situation isn't ideal." Pan sauntered to one of his dead Lost Boys and pulled a bloodied sword from the ground. He turned the blade with admiration and watched as drops of blood slid down to the handle.

Emma swallowed down a build up of disgust in her throat as she watched the body of Henry sliding his index finger along the blood and pinching his fingers together, watching the substance transfer to his thumb.

"What seems to be the problem? As far as I know, we are just sailing the seas, not violating any of your rules."

"Right, and sailing with the Dark One is a normal occurrence. Not to mention how many of my boys you've killed."

"We can talk about this," said Hook, lifting his hands as a symbol of his willingness to cooperate.

"You should have thought of that before you decided to fight the Lost Boys**—**" A round of cheers from the hooded figures interrupted him. Pan smirked. "And, now that I know you plan on taking my body from me, there's no way you're getting off this ship free. So take your pick, Cap." Pan's eyes hovered over George, Timbers, Snow, and so on until he glanced back at Hook. "Surrender, or I kill your crew."

Hook stared at him for just a minute longer, his expression stoic. He glanced at Rumpelstiltskin's still form lying behind Pan, regret sinking into him that if he had not agreed to help Emma, he might still have been able to avenge Milah's death. And now, he was going to die before he even had the chance to complete his lifelong mission.

As if he had been reading Hook's mind, Pan reached out and pulled on Rumpelstiltskin's hair, sliding the sword underneath his neck. His eyes glimmered with pure enjoyment as he analyzed Hook. "If you don't surrender, I'll kill the man you loathe the most, and leave you to your pathetic life to live with the fact that you failed to avenge your love. Again."

With one last glance at Rumpelstiltskin, Hook couldn't help the sly grin that slowly grew on his lips. "Oi, Pan. Your shoelaces are untied."

Pan cocked an eyebrow up as he narrowed his eyes, looking down. And in a sudden moment, Rumpelstiltskin's palm flew back and pressed against Henry's stomach, a light protruding in between, as Henry's body flew back into the captain's quarters. Immediately after, he threw an orb, a spell he had been channeling magic to use since they arrived on the ship, at Tinker Bell, encasing her inside, as it dropped to the ground.

As soon as Tamara had turned her head to see what had caused the crash, Emma leaped forward and pushed the arm holding the gun up. Tamara turned back around and out of instinct, her finger pushed against the trigger, gun shots blaring into the night sky. Emma quickly kicked the flinching Tamara back, knocking the gun out of her reach. She grabbed a hold of Tamara's front shirt and drew her fist back, her mind quickly analyzing the emotions she felt for Tamara, and the only feeling she could name was the feeling of anger. Anger for Tamara's disregard to Neal's feelings, anger for her killing him and trying to kill her too, anger for dragging Henry straight into harm's way. With one last grip, Emma unleashed the strongest punch she had ever thrown.

Snow was quick to tend to Rumpelstiltskin's lack of strength as she pointed for George to help stand guard against any Lost Boys that were brave enough to attempt an attack on the Dark One. Even though he was technically unable to fight, the only working parts being his arms and head, that hadn't stopped him from sending their leader through a wooden wall on the other side of the ship.

"Henry!" Regina panicked.

"I got him!" assured Charming as he ran towards where Henry had fallen.

In a rain of the remains of what had once been his room, Hook took advantage of the distraction and disarmed the few Lost Boys in front of him, motioning for his crew to do the same.

Greg, racing to help his girlfriend, was quickly stopped when Regina stepped out in front of him, wearing an unafraid smirk and expecting a long overdue payback as she took off her gloves. "Hello, Greg." Her hands sparked with magic but it didn't compare to the fire burning in her eyes. "How have you been?"

His eyes flickered from her eyes to her hands. "Regina," he managed to say without stuttering as he backed away slowly. "Regina, you have to understand. I was trying to find my father. My_ father_."

Teeth sparkling under the moonlight, Regina simply said, "Maybe you should have considered the consequences _before_ you decided to torture me."

* * *

She tugged the edges of her gloves snugly over her hand, exhaustion starting to overcome her. Sparing one last glance at Greg's limp body, Regina turned around, worry replaced the mask of revenge as she quickly made her way towards Charming and Henry.

She nodded at Hook as she passed, barely listening to the orders he was barking to man the helm and mop the deck. They had successfully conquered the Lost Boys, who were being guarded by the remaining crew of the Jolly Roger, who also proceeded to collect bodies of the dead. Hook's ship was a mess that even with the magic wood, it still fell to Tinker Bell's power.

Regina tip toed around the debris and fell to her knees beside Henry. Full of remorse, she gently pushed back the bangs from his forehead. Crouched on the other side, Emma looked at her and asked, "How long will that orb hold Tinker Bell?"

"Not very long," she estimated.

Rumpelstiltskin limped in, his weight relying heavily on his cane. The paralysis was starting to wear off, but it still took a toll on his body as his limbs felt heavier. Snow hovered behind him, ready to catch him if he fell.

Emma stood up once she saw him enter. "So, what's next? We wake him up with True Love's Kiss?"

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean?" asked Hook, who approached the group, making himself aware in the conversation. "I thought it could break any curse."

"Yes, but unfortunately, True Love's Kiss won't work in this circumstance." Looking almost regretful, Rumpelstiltskin continued, "When I cast the spell, Henry wasn't the only one affected. If we wake him up using True Love's Kiss, we risk a chance of Peter Pan awakening too. And, as I'm sure you can tell, once Peter Pan rises, the Lost Boys and Tinker Bell will have power once more."

Stumped, Snow shook her head. "What do we do now?"

"Since Henry is unconscious, Pan is weakened and I should be able to separate the two before Henry wakes up."

Regina narrowed her eyes at him, immediately noticing a shift in confidence. "What are you worried about?"

He paused for a moment, before licking his lips and saying, "I've only cast this spell once and it resulted in the victim..." Another pause, and Emma was quick to pester him to continue.

"What happened?"

He sighed. "He died. He refused to wake up even after True Love's Kiss."

Emma gasped and raised her hands to her head, pushing back her hair as she began to pace, muttering, "Oh my God," over and over again. It felt like her life was spinning away from her and every possible conclusion seemed to end horribly.

Rumpelstiltskin stared after her before continuing. "My assumption is that he fell far too deep in the dream."

Tears pricked Regina's eyes as she laughed, sarcastically, a vein in her forehead straining. "That's just...that's just great."

Emma wanted to scream. They were so close to saving Henry, but then like some sick and twisted Grimms' Fairy Tale, it seemed impossible. Henry, the kid who made Emma believe, who never lost hope in happy endings was now stuck in a curse that was perfect for him. "S-So how do we...how do we keep him from dying? How do we stop him from _believing_ the dream?"

Rumpelstiltskin puckered his lips as he thought. "I can send one person in to the same curse and conjoin the dreams. Whoever does that will need to keep Henry believing in reality. I should be able to pull both out before it's too late."

"I'll go," Emma said without hesitation.

Regina quickly disagreed. "What? No, I'll go."

"I think it would be better if Miss Swan went." Rumpelstiltskin shrugged as far as his shoulders would let him when Regina let out a seething glare towards him. "I'm in a bad state as it is, and I'll need Regina's magic to help me cast the spell."

"Why can't you just let her do it? She's the product of True Love. She has magic too," Regina argued.

"Yes, but she doesn't know anything about controlling it, dearie," he said in a familiar high pitched tone. "And if you want to get Henry out alive, you're going to have to help me from here."

"Can you send two?" asked Hook, a question that caught the attention of many reactions.

Emma whipped around to look at him. "You are not coming with me."

Charming frowned and stood beside Emma, his hands motioning to his daughter. "Wait a minute, if you can send two, let me go with Emma."

"I can, but it's risky. The curse I sent Henry in shows you what you desire the most. However, that's as far as I know. If I send two people at the same time with two different ideal lives, who knows what might happen."

"Can't you just send one of us after Emma? It's what you're doing with Henry and Emma, right?" Charming continued.

Rumpelstiltskin shook his head and stood away from his cane, the feeling in his legs returning slowly. "Casting a powerful curse such as that uses a lot of magic. And Regina and I will have to preserve enough to bring them back."

"Well, we're family, we have..." Snow paused, unsure of how she would word the following statement. "Somewhat similar ideal lives."

"No!" Emma jumped away from her parents. "No one is going with me!"

"Don't be stubborn, Emma."

She shook her head, refusing to listen to any more reasoning. "Look, I'm not putting any of you in risk more than you are now."

Snow's face fell as she replied gently, "None of this is your fault, sweetie. We chose to come here to save Henry."

Emma's heart fluttered at the thought of the love Henry had received, and she was so very grateful, but she would never allow her parents, of all people, to follow her into what seemed like a road to death if not done right. "But now I have a choice, and I choose this."

Frustrated, Charming spun around and walked away from the group, but was close enough to still hear the conversation. They were silent, as if waiting for him to explode like a volcano and list one hundred reasons why Emma wasn't allowed on her own, but he only craned his head and weakly joked, "I swear, you get your stubbornness from your mother's side."

Snow laughed through tears, though whether it was genuine or not was questionable. "Speak for yourself."

They paused, not liking the situation one bit. Regina and Rumpelstiltskin easily sensed the tension and allowed the Charmings privacy to say their goodbyes, whereas Hook hovered around them, looking as observant as he had when he had entered the diner with Charming.

"Emma, I am so sorry," Snow said as soon as she had Emma in her arms in a heartfelt hug.

"Why?"

"We have to leave you again," Charming explained. He held one arm around his wife and another around his daughter, holding them tightly against him, trying to memorize the feeling of holding his family to him once again.

Smiling, Emma broke away from them just slightly. "I'm coming back."

"You better. Or I swear to God, Emma..." Charming trailed off, unable to voice what he would do, for he wasn't sure if he could handle even the thought of losing her.

Emma bit her lip, and stood silent for a moment before addressing, "Dad, Mom...I'm coming back. With Henry."

Snow choked on her tears and enveloped Emma in another hug before quickly breaking away and taking her face in her hands, her thumbs grazing over Emma's cheeks.

"I always choose the most dangerous times to be sentimental, I know," said Emma before placing her hand over Snow's.

Charming laughed and pressed a long kiss against her temple. "Stay safe and come back no matter what."

She nodded, biting her lip and refusing to allow her tears to fall.

Whispering final goodbyes, Emma broke away from her family and bent down to Henry, placing a kiss on his forehead. "I'm coming for you, kid," she whispered. Charming quickly slid his arms under Henry's limp body, and pulled him up to his chest, carrying him to the safer side of the ship, behind Regina and Rumpelstiltskin.

Emma exhaled, and she stared at the faces in front of her. Her mother and father, Regina, Gold, and the pirates that had collected behind them wanting to see what was happening. Thad stood off to the side and gave her a comforting wink, and Emma nodded in response.

"Let's get this over with. I want to go home."

Rumpelstiltskin nodded his head towards Charming. "When I cast the spell, put Henry beside Emma." He quickly muttered orders to Regina, who placed her hands over his hands, and after a few seconds of sweat and teeth gritting, magic had been conjured between their palms. Charming held Henry tighter to his body as Snow stood farther back with Thad.

"Hold your ground," warned Rumpelstiltskin. "If it's anything like what happened to Henry, it'll hurt."

Emma's eyebrows jumped at his bluntness. "Thanks for the heads up."

With one final touch of magic, Regina stepped back slowly, letting Rumpelstiltskin handle the curse by himself. She looked at Emma and gave her a nod, both understanding the silent exchange. Emma looked back to Rumpelstiltskin and watched as he pulled his arm back. Allowing herself one final look at her family, she closed her eyes, awaiting the pressure of a curse that would envelop her.

She felt a grip on her wrist and then a muffled yell, causing her eyes to pop open. The last thing she saw was black before everything began to fade, the familiar feeling of pain hitting her body and the hold on her wrist never loosening.

* * *

A white flash awoke her as she stirred awake. Emma had expected to feel burning pain or any sort of pain at all, but she was surprised to find herself waking up to a pleasant feeling. What felt like silk sheets easily dropped off her skin like water, as she shifted on the most comfortable bed to ever exist.

Sighing comfortably, her eyes cracked open slowly as color began to fill back into her sight, and then she saw a face.

"Morning, lover," he said with a familiar nervous smile.

The next thing she knew, a piercing scream escaped her throat and her leg began to kick until she could hear a satisfying thump and groan.

**.**

**.**

**.**

* * *

**A/N:** 7,000+ words and oh my gosh, I feel like my brain's going to overload. Sorry it took so long. I rewrote the fight scene two times before finally settling with something simpler, which is the final product. I also changed the summary.

As promised, this chapter is way more exciting than the last. The following chapters will start getting into the dream AU with Killian, Emma, and Henry. It'll flash from dream world to reality. I'm still finding the plot in the next chapters a little rocky, but I'm hoping (with your encouragement) I'll be able to pull everything together.

x

_*This chapter is dedicated to Alternative27Angel. Thank you so much for being there for me and being the best friend I've ever had.*_

_Wandering Lady: Gah, I just love your reviews! Thank you very much and I'm happy you enjoy the story, especially the Snow and Hook exchange. I hope to hear more from you!_

x

Ugh, so I love and hate this chapter, but maybe it's a personal thing with me being the writer and all. I love the beginning and up until the fight, but I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. It's supposed to be quick paced because of how the events are suddenly unfolding, but I hope that translated well. So please leave me a review and let me know what you feel about it. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

My appreciation to those who have read, favorited, alerted, and reviewed this story.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part IV**

**.**

**.**

**.**

The sudden impact of the strength in her foot had caught Hook off guard, but her piercing scream was what sent him over the edge. Literally.

With a pained expression and annoyance laced in his voice, he clutched his lower abdomen and his heart thumped with the fleeting knowledge that she had missed a dangerous area by just a few toes.

"Swan!" he called out, seemingly only able to speak one word as a result from the shock.

"You!" Emma leaped out from under the sheets and held an accusing finger pointed at him. "You're in the bed! With me!"

He replied, aggravated and sarcastic, "Nothing gets past you, Swan." Hook allowed himself only a lascivious glance before turning away, keeping true to his claim of being a gentleman. "Except maybe our lack of clothing."

Her eyes widened as an arm flew across her chest. The heat crawled from her neck and blossomed to her face, as she furiously snatched the pristine comforter from the king sized bed.

"I can't believe you just jumped in like that," she rebuked as she layered the blanket around her body, referring to the events that had occurred pre-curse. "What were you thinking?"

Hook feigned ignorance. "Why, whatever do you mean, Swan?"

"Don't test me," she snapped, looking at him straight in the eye.

He surrendered to her warning, knowing well enough from the short moments that had passed between them that Swan's buttons were not to be pushed. She had quite a short fuse when she was irritated, and at this moment, through the experience of losing her son a second time and being trapped in an unknown curse, she was at her most irritable. "I was hoping you wouldn't remember that fact."

"Do you realize how dangerous that was? Did Gold's words not sink into that stupid head of yours?" continued Emma.

"But nothing bad happened," Hook replied.

"_Yet._"

Hook's eyes scrunched together and his lips stretched into a thin line. "You're not very optimistic, are you."

"This isn't about optimism, this is about Henry." She groaned. A headache began to form from their argument. "Why did you even come in the first place?"

"I was trying to help." Before she could reply with another accusation about Hook's actions, he was quick to change the subject. "Any idea where we are? And most importantly—" He raised his left arm, a clean amputation on the tip. "My hook?"

Emma glanced around the room looking for clues to the first question, and when she found none, she took herself to the half-opened window beside the bed and looked through the cracks of the curtains. She immediately noticed the clock tower. "Storybrooke," she answered in relief. Cars honking attracted her attention below to the streets and she was surprised to find a much more modernized looking town than the one she was used to seeing. New age cars filled the streets and citizens clicked away on the newest smart phones. "Sort of," added Emma at the sight.

Behind her, she felt heat mixing into her own and a cool breath huffed behind her ear, sending somewhat pleasant shivers down her spine. "How boring. Pity we wake up to this state and I don't even remember our night's love making." Emma jumped and turned on her heels, her back pinned against the window sill. Hook watched, amused, and straightened his posture. He placed his hand on his hip and cherished the cool temperature that washed into the room.

Noticing this, Emma smoothly pushed past him, careful to keep her body from making contact with his.

"Hook! Pay attention!" she yelled as she quickly grabbed the closest pillow and threw it as hard as she could toward him. "And put some clothes on!"

An inappropriate joke escaped his mind as a glint in the air that had previously been Emma's arm flailing about caught his eye. Without a thought of possibly warning her first, he charged right up to her, pillow dropped carelessly on the floor, and grabbed her hand.

"The hell—" He heard her mutter at the sudden contact.

On instinct, Emma quickly twisted his arm away and attempted to jump back but was brought to a halt as Hook quickly seized arm again, pulling her closer. Before she could say another word, he asked a question that would quickly answer the reasoning behind his action.

"What's that on your hand?"

* * *

Snow continued to stare at the void space where her daughter had once stood before she was consumed by the curse and roughly pushed backwards into the captain's cabin, along with the captain himself, who had suddenly jumped in beside Emma at the last minute. Snow asked, more to herself, "Please tell me that didn't just happen," before leaping expertly over debris to the aid of her child.

"Captain!" George followed behind Snow, but instead of stopping beside Emma, he had gone a few feet farther to Hook. "Captain," he repeated, as he rolled the unconscious pirate face up.

Behind Rumpelstiltskin, a seething Timbers had quickly reached for his dagger and pinned it against Rumpelstiltskin's neck. "What have you done to our, Captain, you Crocodile?"

Ignoring the other pirates who had immediately drawn their own weapons in case the Dark One decided to use his powers, Rumpelstiltskin answered with a sour tone, "It wasn't my fault. _He_'s the one who charged in without warning."

"Timbers, that's enough!" Thad finally ordered. Leadership radiated from him as he immediately settled into his role as temporary captain. "And that goes for the lot of you. Get to work!"

Timbers refused to let go of Rumpelstiltskin but felt the weight of a charge of mutiny if he did not obey. With one last look at the man he wished were dead, he begrudgingly dropped his hold on him and walked to where most of his own men stood.

Feeling vulnerable at the sight of his daughter's fallen body, Charming suddenly had the rush of adrenaline that reminded him of the feeling he had when he had gone through groups of the Evil Queen's knights to reach the magic wardrobe—the only source of protection for Emma. But now, realizing he had not given her anything close to protection and had intended on leaving her on her own once more, a small part of him couldn't help but feel thankful to Hook, and if all turned out well on their end, he'd make sure to voice his gratitude.

"What's going to happen now?" he couldn't help to ask. He rested Henry beside Emma, before affectionately brushing the hair away from her face. "How are we going to defeat the Shadow?"

Rumpelstiltskin watched as George gently picked up Hook, not minding the weight, and placed him on the other side of Henry. He glanced to Thad. "Would you mind?"

At his suggestion to give him and his traveling companions personal time, Thad narrowed his eyes just slightly, wanting to argue against him, but motioned to the remaining of the captain's cabin. "Take your time."

He waited until George and Thad walked farther away, and turned his back towards them, failing to notice Thad whispering in Timbers' ear.

"The Shadow was created from powerful darkness. Its abyss is where light does not reach. To rid it, we must use the opposite of darkness, which is something that holds the most powerful light."

Snow encouraged him to proceed. "And that would be...?"

"Fairy dust." He nodded to the entrapped pixie.

"Well, that's easy," concluded Snow. "We have Tinker Bell."

"Afraid that won't work." Regina stepped in to explain. "Her magic has been converted to the power of darkness, which is why it doesn't affect the Shadow. We need pure fairy dust. We need to go to Pixie Hollow."

Rumpelstiltskin nodded in agreement, though his expression fell into one that suggested hesitancy at the idea. Pixie Hollow was the most gorgeous part of Neverland, which made it, ironically, the most terrifying. The trick to it though, was that the Fairy Queen liked to play hide and seek for those searching for her fairy dust. "We trap the Shadow in fairy dust and force it to leave Henry's body."

"An exorcism," said Charming in a very bland tone. He turned to look at his wife with half-lidded eyes. "We're going to exorcise our grandson."

Without paying him any heed, Rumpelstiltskin continued as if he had not been interrupted to begin with, "Once we've done that, we'll do True Love's Kiss and they should wake up."

Snow and Charming nodded to each other and the previous worry their faces held was now replaced with satisfaction that there would be no problems. Although they were aware of how wary Emma was when it involved them as her parents, they still could tell she was trying and the bond that had grown between them was stronger than ever.

"Wait," Charming paused, taking note of the one person they were forgetting. "What about Hook?"

Realization struck in each of their faces as they automatically looked at his sleeping body settled comfortably next to Henry's smaller form.

Rumpelstiltskin looked on with no remorse and by the relaxed expression, seemed to almost enjoy the fact that Hook did not have a True Love anymore and would most likely be doomed forever.

Regina stood by to the side with questioning eyes directed towards her partner in crime. He had left out an important piece of information, and she had immediately caught it. Fighting against Peter Pan was one thing, but the Shadow itself was a completely different situation—a situation similar to that of being marked by the Wraith. And Regina knew Rumpelstiltskin well enough to know he wasn't one for sugaring bad news unless it was to his benefit. So what could he possibly gain from freeing the Shadow, a power that could kill him as well?

* * *

"Oh God."

He snorted but continued to slide hangers of clothing to one side as he searched on the other.

"Oh God," repeated Emma.

Hook rolled his eyes and finally turned around from the dresser to face the shocked woman, who had wrapped herself up on the bed staring at the sparkling ring on her finger, the same position she was in seven minutes ago.

"Have you ever thought that maybe if you stopped wallowing in self-pity, you could help me find my hook and we can find a way out of here?"

"There is a _ring_ on my finger."

"Lovely. But I won't care until I find my hook." He gestured to the closet, hinting for her to help. "Now would you please?"

Groaning, Emma kicked herself out of the layered sheets and stood up, huffing like a child. "How the hell did this happen?" she screamed as she pulled down her shorts before attacking the nightstand beside her.

When Hook answered with silence, Emma continued, suddenly finding the energy from the aftermath of shock that she was now married, and to Hook it would seem. "I swear, if this is some kind of freak side effect because you decided to jump in and play underdog hero, I will shove that stupid hook up your asshole."

His fingers twitched when he began to envision the gruesome scene. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you're quite terrifying when you're angry," he replied trying to sound uncaring.

He scowled at his frustration at not finding his hook yet and threw the dresser doors closed. Tugging on the odd pair of drawers he had found folded neatly on a sofa chair next to the window, he moved to the large bookshelf beside the dresser.

Hook bent down to an eye level in front of carefully placed picture frames resting on a shelf. The photos suggested that in this "ideal life," he and Emma were more than what they were to each other now.

He picked up a lovely designed frame from the middle section and brought it closer to examine. It was winter time and he had a clean shave in the photo, a look he had not tried in many years once he began to sail the seas as captain. Beside this version of himself, cheek to cheek, was an equally younger Emma. Her hair was pushed behind her ears which were shades of pink from the cold bursts of snow filled air; and she radiated an untainted exuberance that seemed unfit for the lass he knew.

The curiosity egged him on and he found himself holding the photo up to Emma's distracted form, silently analyzing how different a person could be from a change in lifestyle. She continued to rummage through the nightstand but stopped once she noticed the sudden pause in his movements.

"What are you doing?" she asked, suddenly becoming self-aware and pulled the shorts lower to her thighs.

A snappy remark was on the tip of his tongue, but the fear of suddenly offending her overtook all other feelings and he found himself, instead, answering, "Just relishing in your youth. How old were you? Seventeen? Eighteen?" He turned the photo to face her.

"How old were you, Hook? Two hundred and fifty?"

"Ouch." He playfully winced and gave her one last stare, watching as she moved to the other side of the bed, before turning to place the picture in its proper place.

A sudden gasp cause him to swivel around again. "What? Did you find my hook?!" His voice hinted an edge of relief before he even heard her answer.

"No, better. I found a phone!" Immediately, she fell back into the bed, phone at concentrated hands, and the search for the hook was long forgotten.

What once was an excited expression dropped quickly. He growled and moved on to the walk-in bathroom, desperately hoping he would find his belongings. Usually, it would have taken him a shorter time considering his talent for finding objects; however, he was hopelessly distracted at the many new things he had never had the chance to properly examine the last time he was in this magic-less world—like the strange long metal tube that shot water out of the little holes when he turned a handle.

"Damn!" he spat and marched back into the bedroom. "Where the hell is it?!"

She replied, although Hook questioned whether or not she understood the severity of his lack of protection. "What's the problem? We'll be out of here soon anyway."

"Forgive me if I like having a weapon at hand," he said, not attempting but succeeding to make a joke.

Light began to fill into the room fully as the sun rose into the sky, signaling late morning of the day. A cool breeze entered the bedroom and Hook found himself being drawn into the scent of the sea. Although it ended quickly, he was sure the musky, salty air was strangely more prominent than anything he had ever smelt.

"Look, if it bothers you that much we'll get you a prosthetic," Emma offered.

Hook was very much familiar with the art of prosthetics and the idea appealed to him on some days, but those days were rare when he would think of something other than his revenge. There was also the fact that a hook gave him more of an advantage than a hand playing pretend. "But a prosthetic hand won't have a pointed end that will rip flesh off a creature in one fell swoop!"

"Are you whining?"

"I'm not whining," he denied quickly. "I'm just stating facts."

Emma stayed silent after that, distracted with her new toy.

Accepting she was not planning on helping him, Hook fell back into the bed beside Emma who continued to press the buttons on the phone, undisturbed.

"Giving up?" she asked, amused.

He narrowed his eyes, tiredly. "Taking a break." After a few moments of silence, he took the initiative to break it. "What are you doing now?" he asked, bored.

"I'm trying to find clues to Henry on here, but it's proving hard considering you don't have any contacts listed."

A sudden thought entered his mind and he pushed himself up with an arm, leaning against it as he stared up at Emma. "You know, you're taking this sudden marriage remarkably well."

She offered him a few seconds of her time and lowered the phone to her lap. "I admit to freaking out about it earlier, but I deal pretty well with shock, if I do say so myself. It just takes a few minutes. Believe me when I say there have been plenty of things that have been more shocking than this."

"And what would beat waking up married to a pirate?"

Smirking, she saw his bet and raised him another. "This is like a bad night in Vegas. _Nothing_ beats finding out about magic for the first time."

Noticing her sudden change in tone, Hook found himself playing right into the game and the curiosity to know more about Emma Swan left him craving. "How did you find the truth about magic?"

She paused for a moment, debating to herself whether it would be wise enough to tell him, and eventually convinced the Emma who was still adding cement to the bricks of her never-ending emotional and mental barrier that it was in the past, and there was no changing that.

"Henry." A simple name that answered so much. "He found me in Boston when I was working a job and told me he was my son. Next thing I know, I'm driving him back to Storybrooke and he tells me these stories of my unknown parents who ended up abandoning me to save an entire land," she explained, recalling the memory clearly. "Of course, I didn't believe him at first because...well, it just sounds ridiculous to anyone who's known Snow White and Prince Charming as just fairy book characters."

Hook had a theory to what occurred in the beginning, but he couldn't help wondering how much information Emma would reveal to him before it was too much.

"What do you mean by him finding you?"

A broad smile met her lips as her expression dropped to something unnamable. "You're a smart guy, Hook. I'm sure you can figure it out."

Strange as it seemed, Hook was greatly flattered by this comment. All his time he was known to be a charmer with his looks paving his path for whatever he needed. Devious, sly, cunning-he had heard them all. But this was the first time he could recall where he was called something that had no meaning of ulterior motive, and instead, was a compliment.

"You're quite a woman, you know that?" he admitted, not even attempting to mask his amazement.

Sighing, Emma dropped the phone in her lap and laid back onto the bed beside Hook.

"Giving up?" he cheekily asked after the jiggle of the bed from her sudden movement calmed.

"Taking a break," she retorted.

She held up her hand and began to examine the diamond ring gracing her finger. Emma was always one who felt the extravagant life was too much for her. Years of stealing what she could had immediately left the idea of ever owning an item worth something a dream. And so, she had gotten used to improvising and stealing what she could, which did not include expensive jewelry of any kind. Yet, here she was, married with the most beautiful diamond she'd ever seen. And she didn't even have to steal it.

After minutes of nothing but staring, Hook found himself slightly worried that she had finally cracked and shock was finally settling in to her. "Our nuptials bothering you that much?"

Emma shook her head and paused, trying to find the right words to convey what she was feeling. "It's not that, it's just... I don't get it. This curse. It's supposed to show us our desires but..." She turned her head to look at Hook, waving her finger between them in the small gap in the center. "This isn't really what I had in mind. No offense."

"Regretfully, this isn't quite what I had imagined either."

For a brief moment, Emma wondered if his idea of a perfect life included Milah, and she was sure he would have preferred to be married to his one true love; yet, why was _she_ his wife?

"Then what happened?" she asked. "Is it because we both got cursed together?"

"Like you said. This dream shows us our desires. The perfect world," recalled Hook. His lips pursed together before he added, "Maybe we're married because we don't want to be alone for the rest of our lives."

A sudden weight dropped to Emma's stomach and a sadness overcame her. Contradicting her own feeling, she replied, "That's crazy."

"Think about it, Emma. We've both had our shares of abandonment. It makes

sense."

"Is that what you want? Not to be alone?"

"After centuries of being by myself? Yes." He chuckled morbidly. "I've played

the game and I'm done with it."

She understood where he was coming from, and it scared her to some odd extent because she felt the exact same way. A sudden guilt began to sink into Emma's heart as she thought of her parents. They had been willing to make amends and, truthfully, she wanted nothing more than a family, but she hadn't been able to rise from her fear of losing those close to her. It always seemed to be her own curse, to lose the ones she loved.

"I'll drink to that."

His face brightened at the idea and he twisted his head towards her. "Why don't we? Get a drink?"

"Right now?" Emma incredulously asked. "I still have to find Henry."

"Do you have any clues?"

"Well, no, but—"

Hook pushed himself back up to a sitting position and his hand motioned for her to do the same. "Then we'll stop by somewhere, eat because I'm starving and I'm sure you are too, and then we'll search on foot for Henry. We'll have energy and we'll go anywhere you want."

She couldn't deny that she was hungry as well, and after days of eating small meals filled with fruit and pastry on a rocky ship, the idea of meat was very appealing at the moment. "...Fine, but can we at least stop by Regina's? If anything, Henry might be there."

"Sure thing, lass. But you think Regina exists in this world?" he asked, warily recalling the many times he was at odds with the woman who had tricked him too many times to count. He wouldn't mind if she were gone, and he assumed Emma wouldn't either.

"Only one way to find out."

* * *

He grit his teeth and his lip parted slightly to show the pearly sharp whites, adding to his intimidating sneer. "I will give you one last chance," he growled under his breath. "Lead us to Pixie Hollow or I will tear off those wings of yours."

Tinker Bell raised her nose high in the air and huffed out a breath of hatred. She crossed her arms and continued to frown at him, adding to his frustration.

"Great," commented Regina, dryly, as she watched Rumpelstiltskin engaged in a stare down with Tinker Bell. The stubborn little thing was just not giving in. "We go from being the most terrifying duo in all the lands to interrogating a three inch pixie."

Apparently overhearing her comment, the small pixie childishly stuck her tongue out. She was quite aware Rumpelstiltskin's tactics were only empty threats. His reputation as the Dark One made way to Neverland years ago when word broke out that one of the king's mermaid daughters had sought him out for magic to change herself—a decision that felt incredibly familiar to Tinker Bell; and at one point, she had also considered his assistance, had it not been for her status as a fairy from Neverland.

Rolling his eyes, Rumpelstiltskin gave the orb in his hands one last grip before he tossed it to Snow beside him, not even bothering to hide his smirk when he heard the clanking of the furious pixie within.

"If she won't help us, how are we going to find Pixie Hollow?" Snow asked as she stuffed the orb in her backpack.

The straight nosed antique collector stayed silent for a minute, contemplating the option he had yet to voice.

Finally seeing no more loopholes, Rumpelstiltskin felt like he was left with no choice. "No matter good or evil, Tinker Bell is still a fairy. She still has a connection. I can enchant the orb she's in to where it will glow brighter the closer we get to Pixie Hollow."

Regina looked at him knowingly. "What's the catch?"

His eyes met the woman's and he glared hard, not directed to her but to the choice they were forced to make. "If I charm the orb, it'll weaken the power holding Tinker Bell."

Sighing, Charming motioned for Thad to come to him. "Then we better do this fast."

And with that, they finally had a plan of action.

* * *

Following the orders Charming had given him, Thad angled the wheel to the left, turning the ship smoothly. He listened to the whistling among the crew as they disposed of the left over bodies into the sea and resumed their roles on the ship. Corky had moved up to the crow's nest in place of Vane and shouted mentions of the distance between the Jolly and land.

Meanwhile, with Hook in the remaining of his quarters, the Dark One sat away to the side, eyes closed and presumably taking a short nap after a day's worth of events. An arm's length away, the women stayed loyally beside Henry and Emma, as Charming began to peel away the pirate clothing over Emma's tank top and jeans.

Coming up the helm, Timbers took up a natural pose beside Thad, and looked away to the sea. "They plan to use Pan's fairy to find Pixie Hollow," he murmured, not trying to seem suspicious. "They're using fairy dust to rid the shadow."

At this, Thad couldn't help but glance at him. "_Rid_ the shadow?" He laughed. "Fools they are."

Not finding the fact amusing like Thad, Timbers continued, his lips pressed together in a thin line. "That's not all. They plan to leave Captain Hook to the curse."

Thad's face suddenly became expressionless and only uttered, "Do they now..." before dismissing Timbers with a wave of his hand. "Good job, boy. You're done."

He watched as Timbers walked off the helm, but wasn't surprised when he went straight to the mops to swab the deck. Timbers held a higher position than a cabin boy, and he usually had a tendency for quite the temper whenever he was mistaken for one. Yet, there he stood, silently mopping blood from the ship's floor. And coincidentally, only feet away from the only captain he took orders from and respected to his fullest.

Licking his lips, Thad whistled a unique tune he had only used a few times. He continued to sail and wasn't disturbed when, after a few minutes, a crow perched itself onto the wheel. The crow's head perked up as he listened to the sounds around it, and as he moved his head from left to right, his right black eye met with his left purple eye.

"I have a job for you."

* * *

**A/N:** So, this chapter is shorter than the last but you get a lot of information, I think. I'd like to apologize for the delay. I've been distracted by other things and including trying to figure out where I want my story to go, it took some time.

_Stay tuned for the next chapter where Emma and Killian meet a certain sheriff and Rumple & co. search for Pixie Hollow._


	5. Chapter 5

**Part V**

**.**

**.**

**.**

All it took was a blink.

One minute, they were in the bedroom they apparently shared, agreeing on a plan of action to find Henry, and the next, they were covered in a sheet of black. What Emma found most disturbing was that even though it was pitch black, they could still see each other.

"Where are we?" Emma asked, but received no answer from Hook as he continued his silent analyzation. He continued to sink in their surroundings, or lack of; and raised his hook, preparing himself for something to jump out from the dark.

A cry suddenly echoed, and Emma was sure it wasn't Hook.

The volume grew and bounced off the invisible walls.

Frustrated, she yelled, "Who are you?!" but her voice was drowned out by the cries.

"Who are you?" she asked again.

This time, the cries ceased, leaving them stuck in an eerie silence. Neither Hook nor Emma dared to speak or even breathe.

She spun her head around and around so many times, Emma could feel the uncomfortable sense of nausea making its way towards her; and when she saw a yellow door appearing suddenly, she was tempted to think her mind was playing tricks on her.

"Do you see that?" asked Emma to Hook. Before he could answer, light sprung out from underneath the crack as it creaked open.

A wisp of a whisper blew through to Emma, as she strained her ears to hear better.

"Emma," Hook muttered beside her, but she didn't turn, keeping her concentration on what was calling her. It was so familiar... "Emma," he called for her again.

He repeated her name but his voice soon ceased to a buzz as the words behind the door became clear.

"Mom? Mom, are you here?"

The recognition of the voice caused Emma to step forward almost immediately. "That's Henry!"

"Emma, wait." Hook halted her, gripped her arm and stared at her with such anxious intensity it almost made her second guess her decision. "It could very well be a trick. You could be falling into a trap."

Defiance shone brightly in her eyes, even with darkness surrounding them. "But it could be Henry."

She was taking a chance.

_It might be stupid, it might be crazy, but we're doing it_, was what he recalled her saying before; and the same passion that lit fire in her then shone the same now.

He nodded in a way that told her he wouldn't hesitate to point out her mistake if it turned on them afterwards.

Emma breathed the nerves away, or tried to, as her fingers clenched the door knob. Mentally counting down, she pushed the door in, a bright light succumbing her causing her to blink rapidly as the vision returned. The door led to a bright room full of white, and Henry stood in the center.

He looked physically alright, and she realized just how much she had missed him when his smile lit up his face at the sight of her.

"Henry!" she exclaimed and ran to her son. Holding each other tightly, tears flowed down Emma's cheeks as Henry couldn't stop the grin that exploded on his face.

"Thank God you're okay, Henry," sobbed Emma.

Henry, snuggled in her arms, only replied encouragingly, "You found me, mom."

"I did. I did." Sniffling, she pulled back and pressed her hands gently around Henry's face, angling him up to her. "I'm so happy you're okay."

He grinned. "Ditto. Where are we, anyway?"

"You don't remember?" The memory of his unconscious body in David's arms painfully jerked back into her mind. "Right, of course you don't," she muttered to herself. Emma pushed loose strands of his bangs back. "Henry, what's the last thing you remember?"

"Um...I'm not really sure," he replied. His eyebrows scrunched up together as he tried to remember. "I saw Peter Pan. And Felix. They said something about me having the heart of the truest believer. And then, they made me drink something. Next thing I know, I'm in this room."

Emma nodded. "Technically, you're still on the Jolly."

The confusion from Henry was clear when he asked, "Okay, what exactly happened? How did you get here?"

"Whatever you drank took you to some dream world, but your body is still with David and Mary Margaret. Gold cast the same curse on me so I could find you." She paused, recalling how he had called for her. "How'd you know I was here?"

And he replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "I could feel it."

Emma gazed at him adoringly, and her teary eyed smile was only the first of many once they could get the hell out of Neverland.

Before she could respond, the sudden sound of a door creaking shut behind them and resonated in the white room. She turned, pressing Henry against her, just in time to see a glimpse of Hook's wide eyes staring back at her before the door shut closed.

"Hook!" shouted Emma. She pulled Henry with her towards the door, and in another blink of an eye, it disappeared.

* * *

Green eyes snapped open and sharply stared into the night sky, lit by glowing galassia that surrounded her like a trail. Almost instantly, she rose from her bedding, her long black hair tangling with the wind. The Fairy Queen walked straight, neck held high exhibiting the pure essence of grace.

Once she reached her destination, she tapped against a folded leaf that towered over her. A large droplet of dew slid downwards into the palm of her hand. Raising the drop to her lips, she placed a peck against it. The clearness of the dew diminished into a view of a pirate ship she hadn't seen in years and never expected she would again. An expressionless face passed over the sight as she continued to hover over the scene. Bodies were being thrown overboard as remaining pirates swept the ship clean of the scent of war. Amusement crossed her slightly as she saw the sudden panic rising with the crew, and distorted into interest when her eyes rested on two bodies placed carefully together. A woman and child.

Almost immediately, she found what she was looking for. Or in this case, who. Her instinct had been correct, and she was greatly pleased with herself as shown by the curling smile making way on her lips. A feeling of excitement she had all too rarely experienced made her heart flutter, and she swore she could feel a sensation of adrenaline rushing through her veins.

The blonde girl. She had to have her. She could just _taste_ the magic pouring out of her - pure, natural, strong power - that had the ability to defeat anything that crossed its path. A magic she hadn't seen in ages.

Oh yes, she would be a wonderful addition to her collection.

* * *

The reunion of Emma and Henry was refreshing and Hook felt so proud at that moment. Proud of himself. A feeling he hadn't had since he was a child. He had done some good. Maybe he wasn't hopeless after all.

He allowed himself to observe the two, giving them a few moments of privacy. But when the two sat in silence, he couldn't help but feel a chill of disturbance run through him.

"Emma?" he called softly. When she failed to turn around or even give a reply, Hook tried to take a step forward, but when he looked down, he couldn't move. His arms flailed as he tried to push his way through.

He was stuck.

And in front of him, the door began to close shut.

"How bloody wonderful," he muttered. "Emma! Swan!"

Did she finally hear him? He couldn't tell, but when the door creaked as it neared a complete close, he saw a glimpse of her turning around. He saw pools of panic in her eyes, which he expected to be reflected from his own.

"Emma!" Hook yelled, even after the door vanished. He could move now, a fact that currently irritated him, because, honestly, was this some kind of game?

Shifting around the darkness, he pushed his hands against air trying to find any sort of a potential end to this ridiculous place they had been thrown into; and hopefully, Rumpelstiltskin and the rest would be able to find them a way out of here soon.

After a few seconds that seemed like minutes of feeling nothing but black, Hook resorted to yelling.

"Emma! Emma! Can you hear me? Can anyone _bloody_ hear me? Hello?!"

"I wouldn't be wasting my breath if I were you."

Hook froze.

Craning his neck around just slightly to see the form of the fellow behind him, he wasn't sure how to react when he recognized the boy.

"Rufio."

"There's no way out. Believe me. I've tried." The black feathered hair boy smiled sadly. "Never thought I'd see you here, Captain."

Hook stayed silent as he swerved around to face him, his long coat flowing behind him with a swishing sound. "Yes, well, I'm sure after our last brawl, this was the least expected reunion."

"To say the least," Rufio replied, quietly.

Without pause, the pirate captain asked with such confidence in Rufio's knowledge that even he felt a tad whelmed, "Emma and Henry. What did you do to them?"

The younger lad snorted. "I didn't do anything. That would be Pan."

"Aye, but you know where they are, don't you."

"Why should I tell you?" asked Rufio, narrowing his eyes at the man. After sending him to this hellhole, he expected to receive an answer so quickly? He was lucky he was getting answers at all.

Exasperated, Hook pushed back his anger as he tried to reason. "Rufio, you and I both know how dangerous Pan is. Now, he's here and he wants the boy."

"Not my problem."

Hook grabbed Rufio by the neck. "It will be if you don't help me."

"And what are you gonna do, Cap?" Rufio dared to step forward, their noses bumping together. "You can't hurt me here."

After a minute of strenuous staring and puffs of their chests, Hook faltered into an array of frustration and exhaustion. "Rufio. _Please._"

"What happened to Milah?" he smoothly inserted, instead of answering Hook's request.

Of course he had decided to ask the one question Hook was trying to distance himself from. Memories of how close Milah and Rufio were when he took in the boy resurfaced. The strongest bond between a girl and a boy at that time was a mother's love, and Milah had been the mother Rufio never had. A part of it relied heavily on how much Milah missed her son but was too far down her adventure to go back for him.

"She died," Hook simply said. Because that was it. It was a simple fact that she just died and it took less than a minute. Less than a minute for their years of being together and the years to come to be crushed by the hand of a jealous fool.

Rufio looked at him but this time, his eyes were full of pity and understanding, something that rubbed Hook wrong.

They stepped away from each other, and it wasn't until Hook decided to break the silence that Rufio interrupted him.

"She's here, you know."

He watched as Hook turned to him, unsure if he was referring to Emma or…

"Milah," Rufio said quietly, answering his thoughts. "She's here."

Shaking his head, Hook was stuck in a limbo that bridged between confusion and pain. He had long accepted that Milah was gone, but that didn't mean her memory didn't haunt him.

"Your jokes still aren't funny, mate."

"I'm not joking. Would you like to see her?"

At this moment, Hook couldn't help the fear that had overcome him, because he had honestly become worried when he noticed the seriousness in Rufio's demeanor. Did he truly believe Milah was here?

No.

Milah died. He watched as they sent her body into the sea, her home.

"Captain. I'll ask again," Rufio said, snapping Hook from his thoughts. "Would you like to see her?"

At Hook's silence, Rufio nodded, assuming his answer. He raised his hands and his fingers pressed together.

Hook, noticing this gesture, quickly denied the part of him that wanted to see her. "No, wait-"

_Snap_.

* * *

An arm draped around his torso woke him up. His first reaction was a flinch before he instinctively felt his hook with his hand. A breath was all he would need and the person behind him would gather a rather obscene smell as a corpse. However, the feel of the arm somehow seemed eerily familiar.

Angling his head upwards, black curls poured around him, and he felt his heart stop to a subtle beat.

It couldn't… Was it really…?

A muffled giggle came from her as he felt lips pressed against his back, trailing upwards. He froze awkwardly as his arms tensed up when fingers danced along his muscles.

"Killian," she whispered, and his heart melted.

"Milah…?"

She smiled and pushed herself up so her head could rest against his shoulder.

Her voice was as silky as ever, and he almost didn't recognize it. Had it really been 300 years?

After a few moments of silence on his part, he gulped and took a chance. Turning to face Milah, he kept his eyes closed and stayed like that until, finally, he opened his eyes.

He was met with bright blue oceans staring back at him, her smile looking ever the same. She was beautiful.

He could feel tears threatening to peak through, but he closed his eyes shut tight, as if he opened them again she would be gone. His lips found hers, as naturally as it had the last time.

Milah tasted the same. The feel of her pointed chin against his stubble caused a sense of nostalgia that rushed over him. His hands found her hair and fingers gently tangled into long strands, treating her as delicately as he could.

He felt her own hands wander down and his body jerked towards her, instinctively.

Gods, he had missed her, and now she was here.

She broke the kiss with a small moan and another smile.

"Come on, love. Not now. Baelfire's been waiting all morning for you to teach him to sail, and he could storm in any minute."

He pushed away from Milah. "Baelfire? He's here?"

"Where else would he be, Killian?" she asked, suddenly becoming worried at his question. "He's your son after all."

"My...my son?"

The door creaked open as a hairy head popped in, messy bangs covering his eyes. His smile was the same, as was the twinkle in his eye when he first learned about sailing. Except now, there was something else. Baelfire looked at him with admiration and he genuinely looked like he even loved him, the man who had separated his family. Who had ruined his life. Who had sent him to the worst place possible.

"Papa! Momma!"

"There he is."

As if she hadn't been naked a second ago, Milah rose up from the bed with a full outfit as she moved to hug her son. _Their _son.

He stared at the two and was immediately flooded with the sense of caution. It was hard to tell what was reality and fantasy, because it felt so real; so it _had _to be real. Right? That was the logical thought, after all.

He wasn't sure why he was questioning their existence now, because as far as he could remember, they had been together always.

But then, the ever repeating discomfort in himself rushed through him once again and intensified as he looked down to his left hand. Something was odd about this day, but he couldn't pinpoint it.

They were sailing to… Damn, where were they going again? No. It didn't matter where. As long as they were together.

But…

Milah and Baelfire was all he ever wanted. But for some reason, he couldn't push away the nagging feeling that something was missing when he watched them together. However, this feeling slowly began to dwindle the moment Baelfire noticed his stare and waved him over.

"Come on, Papa!"

Killian couldn't help the splitting grin as he laughed. "I'm coming, Bae."

As he stood up, he noticed his body was clothed with the red vest he had received from Milah, and plain trousers. A necklace dangled around his neck, and somehow, Killian just knew it was a gift from Baelfire.

Following them out of the cabin, he was greeted with his whole crew singing as they worked, a glorious awakening to witness.

"Cap'n!" Killian looked up to see Vane waving at him. " Land ahoy!"

At the sight of land, Killian chuckled. They had arrived earlier than expected, which meant a great deal considering it would give Milah a chance to purchase more clothes, a complaint he had always heard her mumble when she thought he wasn't listening.

"Bae," said Killian as he placed a hand on Baelfire's shoulder. "How about you sail us to the docks?"

The boy laughed excitedly. "Really?!"

He nodded and laughed as he watched Baelfire maneuver through the crew to the helm. As he climbed up the short steps to follow him, Milah squealed.

"Look! Swans!"

Killian looked up where a flock of swans had indeed appeared and were soaring closely over the Jolly.

Swan.

The word was enough to cause a tremble in Killian as he slowly began to lean against the wooden wall behind him, his body suddenly feeling heavy.

He felt weird and his heart ached, like a part of him was forcing him to remember something important. Or rather, someone.

No. Killian wanted to deny it, but the strength of his heart began to overpower him, and in a split second, he remembered briefly what he was fighting for.

"This isn't right," he muttered, clutching his head in his hands. And as his muddled memories cleared, a newfound anger towards himself for falling so easily to falseness began to slowly lead him out of this fantasy. "I have to get out of here."

His body moved itself towards Rufio but he was pulled back by Milah, who clenched her fingers tightly around his shoulder.

"Where are you going?"

It wasn't her, he easily recalled "I have to find Emma and the lad."

She looked at him, disappointedly, and Killian wanted nothing more than to rip her apart because how dare she use Milah's face against him.

"Rufio!" he barked.

Milah continued, "Killian, are you going to give this up for them? People you hardly know?"

No. That wasn't it. The problem was he knew them too well. He had seen their situation before. Felt their heartbreaks. Lost loved ones they were fighting for now.

"Papa?" a faint voice called for him.

Without hesitation, Killian moved towards Rufio again. "Take me back."

Rufio watched him, confused at his actions. "I can't take you back. Why don't you just accept this place?"

"What do you mean you can't?"

"I was able to find you because we have a _connection_," Rufio explained. "If you go back, who knows where you'll end up. I might not even be able to find you."

Arms weaved around his body. "Killy. It's no use helping them. You'll still be lost. Without me in that world, you won't be saved."

She was right. He wouldn't be able to wake up. If he were to leave, he might never return to this blissful place. His mind would be stuck in this hell while his body rotted in the sea, assuming they would give him a proper burial.

If he were to stay, he'd have Milah and Baelfire. He'd have his crew, and the sea would always beckon to his needs. He would be content. Happy. Saved.

Then again…

He glanced to the edge of the ship and an idea struck him. Killian swerved to look at her, his eyes fueled in flames of enthusiasm as he gripped her hands and pried them off him. "I don't need you to save me. Not anymore." Smirking wildly, he gave her an amused peck on the cheek. "I'm my own savior."

Before Milah could breathe another word, Killian sprinted towards the edge and pushed himself out to the sea.

The last thing he could feel was water enveloping him and the repetitive reminder to believe.

* * *

A muffled yell is the first thing Killian hears. That and a thump that keeps hitting something.

"Hook! Open the door!"

He can faintly hear someone speaking to him, but the words flow in and out like blobs. It's quite annoying because he has never felt as much at peace as he is now.

Another thump.

"I think I almost have it."

And then a BANG that shakes his surroundings.

"Oh, God."

"Is he okay?"

"Henry, call 9-1-1!"

A shuffle of footsteps pound against the floor.

An arm grabs a hold of him and he can feel his body being heaved upwards.

The person behind him curses under her breath as she holds on to him with every last strength, unable to pull him out any further.

"Hook? Stay with me. Come on."

A cough threatens to escape but his lungs won't allow it. Is he dying? He can't tell. But the pain is agonizing and he just wants it to stop.

The hands are panicky now, he can feel them losing hold of him. There's a beat next to his ear and he can hear loud and fast pounds that match the movements that are around him.

"Come on, Hook," repeats the voice, breath huffing into his hair.

There are more thumps now as more voices enter his mind.

The beating behind him skips it's usual repetition and instead, quickens.

"Graham?!"

The voice is hitched, he can tell.

Slowly, the voices begin to drown out and Killian can't tell the difference anymore. He just knows that whatever is welcoming him feels good and the pain slowly begins to recede.

* * *

"Henry, wait in the hall," Graham ordered, and Henry quickly obeyed.

Emma couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Graham Humbert entering the bathroom. For a minute, it seemed like she was back in the sheriff's office in Storybrooke, staring at his lone badge. And now, he was here…

Just what kind of game was this? Was this the surprise Pan had told her about?*

"Emma!" he called with his voice raised. Emma blinked and suddenly, she was back in the bathroom with the realization that she had a possibly dead Hook in her arms. "Snap out of it. What happened?"

Graham slid his jacket off and quickly sunk his arm into the water, pulling Hook's limp body with him, struggling to not slip.

Was it her, or did he look more panicky than she felt?

"What happened?" he repeated when Emma failed to reply fast enough.

"He - uh, w-we found him. Like this." Her fingers gripped Hook's shoulders as she stared at his head that rested in front of her knees.

He wasn't moving.

It was silent for a few seconds before Graham muttered, "Damn it," in a tone that revealed how stressful and important this was to him.

She sat there, unable to move, as she watched Graham resuscitating Hook.

"He's not breathing."

Wait.

He wasn't breathing? What did that mean?

"Let's get him to the hospital and - "

Hook's body suddenly began to convulse as he flew forward and began heaving water.

Emma jumped from her position on the ground as Graham edged his way around Hook, patting his back.

"Is he okay?" Henry asked from the other side. Emma reached out and took his hand, holding her against him as they both watched Hook regain color in his cheeks and a relieved grin on Graham's face. Emma could feel Henry looking up at her, unsure of how to support his mother.

His presence was all she needed, and Emma made sure he understood this when she looked down at him.

"What happened?" Hook managed to choke out.

"You were drowning in your tub, pal." Graham gave him one last pat before his face scrunched in a frown. "Want to tell me what the hell you were thinking?"

Hook was taken aback by his tone and glanced at Emma and Henry before looking back at Graham. "I fell asleep. Who are you?"

Graham scoffed. "You're funny, Killian." He stood up and grabbed his jacket from the wet floor. "Clumsy, too. You work at the docks for Gods sakes! You're damn lucky you weren't alone here."

With a charming eyebrow propped up, Hook nodded towards Graham. "I take it you know me well if you're berating me."

"If pretending you have amnesia is your way of getting out rewarding me for saving your _life_, you've gotten way too naive." Graham shook his head in disappointment as if he had expected a better answer from Hook. "I'll leave you to a scolding from your wife. Call me when you're ready to buy me a drink, git."

Emma quickly glanced between Hook and Graham, as if she were choosing something, and quickly held an arm out to catch a hold of the man leaving.

"Wait, Graham…"

He looked back at her and as if they were sharing a secret, smiled. His hand found hers and he gave it a comforting squeeze. "Don't worry about it, Emma. I'll write it up as an accident."

What? No. That wasn't what she wanted to talk about.

"Just makes sure he gets help if he needs it, alright? He's my best friend."

Oh._ Oh_. That's why he was so scared. Graham and Hook were best friends in this world. Graham didn't remember… For all she knew, they never had...whatever they had.

Of course, she thought. After all, this wasn't real. _He _wasn't real.

She nodded mutely, paranoid that if she said anything else she would break to a blubbering mess, because she remembered that Graham - her Graham - was dead.

At this realization, she could feel her heart harden and her tears dry before they even had a chance to show.

"I'll show you out!" Henry excitedly said. Of course he enjoyed the fact that Graham was alive here. They had spent silent moments together when he visited the Mayor's, and although he wasn't Archie, the kid had seen way too much death for his age.

Watching as their backs disappeared around the corner and down the stairs, Emma turned back to Hook, as if just remembering him, but quickly regretted it. The heart racing situation earlier had left one detail out in the open and Emma quickly grabbed a towel to cover it. "Put on some clothes."

He huffed at her. "Nothing you haven't already seen, love," he said, recalling to their lovely morning greeting. Standing up and shaking the water from his hair, he nodded to her. "Who was he?"

Swallowing a pang of sadness, she simply replied, "Graham."

She could feel Hook's stare on her, burning through her body as he tied the towel around his lower region.

"Right. And who was he to you?"

"No one."

"Didn't look like no one." He was pushing for more information, obviously not taking her answer seriously.

"He's no one, Hook."

She waited uncomfortably for him to continue or throw an inappropriate suggestion, but he only shrugged in his spot.

"Back to our lovely home I see."

And she couldn't help but feel gratitude at his silent agreement to move past the topic, though she was sure it was only a moment of temporary compliance.

Emma retrieved the closest clothing, a simple long sleeved shirt and sweatpants, and tossed it lightly to him, using half the strength she did with the towel. "Get dressed. We have a lot to talk about."

She left without another word and he didn't push her for one. Instead, he followed her order and pulled the garment she had given him over his head. But when he did, the bareness of his right arm caught his sight.

He stared at it silently, and felt greatly disturbed when he came to the conclusion that he did not feel anything towards the lack of Milah's memory. Things were already changing. Gears were shifting.

With one last glance to where Emma had exited, he quickly pulled the shirt over, making sure the sleeves were down to his wrists.

* * *

**A/N: God, I'm so sorry I haven't been updating. There's not much time with classes and all, but it's Fall Break (ends today actually) so I was able to rewrite what I had and upload this little number.**

**Also, no beta, and I'm sort of on a time constraint right now, so if there are grammar mistakes, I apologize!**

**Since I wrote this story before S3, I'm keeping whatever events I have planned. I hope you won't be confused and just go with it! **

_*The surprise Pan tells Emma will be explained in the next chapter. The event happens at the same time Hook is talking to Rufio, so next chap, you'll see what happened to Emma and Henry on the other side of that door._

Things may seem really confusing right now, but it'll make more sense, especially in the next chapter; which you should stay tuned for because there's a really nice moment between Emma and Killian, as well as a twist or two. The Fairy Queen will play a big part with Charming and co. which will be explored a little later as they try to find a way to save their family.

Thanks to everyone who is keeping up with this story. I didn't like the last chapter but I'm trying to make it work with the rest of the story, so I think this one really sort of helps mellow it out.

Tell me what you think of the chapter AND THE RECENT CS MOMENTS IN S3! xx


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